Hegseth directs pause on Dept. of the Air Force’s reorganization efforts
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the Department of the Air Force to pause its sweeping reorganization effort until Congress approves new leadership under the Trump administration, according to a DAF spokesperson.
The directive — first reported by Air and Space Forces Magazine — was issued Thursday and effectively puts several plans under the so-called Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition already in motion on hold, including work on standing up an Integrated Capabilities Command and Space Futures Command. The order will not require actions already taken under the effort to be reversed, the spokesperson said.
“The planning pause remains in effect until a Senate-confirmed Secretary and Under Secretary of the Air Force are in place and have the opportunity to review the initiatives,” the DAF spokesperson told DefenseScoop in a statement. “The Department of the Air Force welcomes the opportunity for our new leaders to assess all ongoing actions and ensure compliance with DoD directives. We will issue clarifying guidance, as necessary.”
Spearheaded by then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and unveiled in February 2024, the Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition is a broad plan to reorganize the department to prepare the Air and Space Force’s readiness and warfighting capabilities for potential conflict with U.S. adversaries. The initiative included a list of 24 near- and long-term efforts, such as department reorganizations and new commands.
Among those action items included the creation of an Integrated Capabilities Command (ICC), which would create a single organization for generating requirements for new warfighting capabilities. The service announced in September that it had created a “provisional” ICC as it worked to stand up a complete office.
The Space Force is also set to get a new field command — dubbed Space Futures Command — that would focus on evaluating future threat environments, validating warfighting concepts and conducting data-driven analytics on mission area designs. The Department of the Air Force had previously stated that they would stand up the new command sometime in 2025.
Other efforts that were underway and are now on pause include the elevation of Air Forces Cyber, reorganization of Air Force Material Command, preparation for a major exercise known as Resolute Force Pacific and more.
The fate of the Department of the Air Force’s reorganization efforts must wait until new leadership is confirmed by Congress. Those confirmation hearings have not yet been scheduled. President Donald Trump nominated Troy Meink, current deputy of the National Reconnaissance Office, to serve as the DAF’s next secretary. Matthew Lohmeier, who previously served as a Space Force lieutenant colonel but was relieved from his post in 2021, has been tapped to serve as the DAF’s undersecretary.
