The 2024 AFA Warfare Symposium showcased a clear theme of impending change amidst a backdrop of industry buzzwords and acronyms. The symposium unveiled 24 new priorities for the Air and Space Forces’ leadership, aimed at creating a more agile force that relies on established teamwork at home bases.
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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin emphasized the need to re-optimize the branch to dominate evolving challenges of the future.
“That’s what this is about,” Allvin said. “Taking this Air Force that has the best talent, the best teamwork, and re-optimizing it to dominate this game in the way it’s gonna be played now and into the future. That’s what this is about.”
One of the most obvious changes discussed is the restructuring of combat wings. Traditional air expeditionary wings will be replaced by deployable combat wings, in-place combat wings, and combat generation wings. The shift aims to create more self-sufficient units that ready to engage the enemy without having to piece together deployments from various locations.
“We can no longer afford to move slowly,” Allvin said. “And if you wanna move fast and coherently you have to be in unison, you have to be integrated.”
Allvin did not provide a specific timeline for the implementation of these changes, but a previously scheduled testing at three bases in the summer of 2024 has been suspended.
The changes announced at the symposium can be categorized into four areas: developing people, generating readiness, projecting power, and developing capabilities.
“I am unapologetic to stand here in front of you and say I do not know the final destination,” Allvin said. “And here’s why, because if we wait to move to have those final answers, we will be too late.”
The Space Force, which is four years old, is also undergoing significant changes.
One headline change is the creation of a new field command, the Space Futures Command.
“So we are going to establish a Space Futures Command that is combined of three centers that starts to ask these fundamental questions,” Chief of Space Operation Gen. Chance Saltzman said. “That puts together a force that we can offer to combatant commanders that doesn’t just have the systems. It has the tactics, the training, the operational concepts.”
Both Air and Space Forces leaders emphasized that change is rarely easy but framed these shifts in priorities as opportunities for growth and improvement.
We got a lot of hard work to do. This is the most difficult, intense, focused threat that I’ve ever seen us face. And we’re just gonna have to respond accordingly.
Frank Kendall, Air Force Secretary
The symposium’s discussions of re-optimization were underscored with motivating factors, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, tensions in the Red Sea’s shipping lanes, and China’s intentions regarding Taiwan.
For a detailed overview of all the changes planned for both the Air and Space Forces, interested parties can refer to the official releases and presentations from the symposium below.
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[Ryan Robertson]
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU NOTICE FIRST AT AN EVENT LIKE THE 2024 AIR WARFARE SYMPOSIUM IS A COLLECTION OF BUZZWORDS, ACRONYMS AND WELL-CRAFTED PHRASINGS. BUT DISTILLED DOWN THIS YEAR’S MESSAGING WAS PRETTY SIMPLE. CHANGE IS COMING.
FOR THE UNINITIATED THE BRIGHT LIGHTS AND BIG DISPLAYS ON THE EXPOSITION FLOOR CAN EASILY STEAL YOUR ATTENTION FROM THE REAL STORY OF THIS YEAR’S GATHERING. UNVEILED IN THE OPENING HOURS WERE 24 NEW PRIORITIES FOR AIR AND SPACE FORCE LEADERSHIP. THE GOAL IS TO BECOME A MORE NIMBLE FORCE THAT LEANS ON THE TEAMWORK THAT’S ESTABLISHED AT HOME BASES.
[Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force]
“That’s what this is about. Taking this Air Force that has the best talent, the best teamwork, and re-optimizing it to dominate this game in the way it’s gonna be played now and into the future. That’s what this is about.
[Ryan Robertson]
ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS CHANGES WILL BE HOW COMBAT WINGS ARE FORMED. GONE WILL BE THE TRADITIONAL AIR EXPEDITIONARY WINGS’. IN THEIR PLACE, ‘DEPLOYABLE COMBAT WINGS’, ‘IN-PLACE COMBAT WINGS’ AND COMBAT GENERATION WINGS. THE GOAL IS TO PUT TOGETHER UNITS THAT HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY, RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL METHOD OF PIECING TOGETHER VARIOUS UNITS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
[Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force]
“We can no longer afford to move slowly. And if you wanna move fast and coherently you have to be in unison, you have to be integrated.
[Ryan Robertson]
GENERAL ALVIN DIDN’T PROVIDE A TIMETABLE FOR AIR FORCE-WIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS CONCEPT; A PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED TESTING AT THREE BASES IN THE SUMMER OF 2024 HAS ALREADY BEEN SUSPENDED.
WHILE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHANGES ANNOUNCED ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO FULLY RECOUNT HERE, THEY FALL INTO FOUR CATEGORIES: DEVELOP PEOPLE, GENERATE READINESS, PROJECT POWER, AND DEVELOP CAPABILITIES.
[Gen. David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force]
“I am unapologetic to stand here in front of you and say I do not know the final destination. -And here’s why, because if we wait to move to have those final answers, we will be too late.
[Ryan Robertson]
WHILE SWEEPING CHANGES FOR THE 76-YEAR-OLD AIR FORCE CERTAINLY MAKE SENSE, THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD SPACE FORCE ISN’T SITTING IDLE. THEY TOO ARE PART OF THE TWO DOZEN PRIORITIES OUTLINED AT THE SYMPOSIUM. ONE OF THE HEADLINE CHANGES IS THE CREATION OF A NEW FIELD COMMAND.
[Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations]
“So we are going to establish a space futures command that is combined of three centers that starts to ask these fundamental questions. That puts together a force that we can offer to combatant commanders that doesn’t just have the systems. It has the tactics, the training, the operational concepts.”
[Ryan Robertson]
WHILE BOTH LEADERS EMPHASIZED THAT CHANGE IS RARELY EASY, GENERAL SALTZMAN MADE OF POINT OF FRAMING THESE SHIFTS IN PRIORITIES AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPACE FORCE GUARDIANS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THEIR GROWING BRANCH OF SERVICE.
“I challenge all of you to jump on board. We get to reoptimize for space. It’s not that we must reoptimize for space. We know, or for a great power competition, we know that we get to reoptimize. It’s, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.
IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT COMES WITH A LOT OF MOTIVATING FACTORS. THE BIGGEST OF WHICH ARE PLAYING OUT IN THE BATTLEFIELDS OF UKRAINE, THE SHIPPING LANES OF THE RED SEA, AND CHINA’S STATED INTENTIONS TO REUNIFY TAIWAN, BY FORCE IF THEY SEE FIT TO DO SO.
[Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force]
“We’re in a sprint to get better and improve our readiness posture, but we’re also in a marathon that’s to stay competitive over time. We got a lot of hard work to do. This is the most difficult intense, focused threat that I’ve ever seen us face. And we’re just gonna have to respond accordingly.”
[Ryan Robertson]
FOR A FULL ACCOUNTING OF ALL THE CHANGES ON TAP FOR BOTH THE AIR AND SPACE FORCES JUST HIT THE LINKS BELOW.
USAF Release
USSF Release
USAF Case for Change Presentation
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