Troy Meink, then-deputy Air Force undersecretary for space, answers questions during a space budget briefing at the Pentagon on March 5, 2015. U.S. Air Force / Scott M. Ash
Trump to tap NRO official as Air Force secretary
The move emphasizes the next administration's pro-space agenda.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Troy Meink, currently principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, to lead the Department of the Air Force.
“Troy will work with our incredible Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to ensure that our Nation’s Air Force is the most effective and deadly force in the World, as we secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said in a Truth Social post today, confirming previous Defense One reporting.
The announcement completes Trump’s picks for service secretaries.
Meink has served as the principal deputy director of the spy agency since 2020. A former KC-135 navigator, he went on to hold various roles in the national-security space and intelligence world.
Trump, who moved to create the Space Force in his first term, is viewed as highly pro-space. And with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as a key advisor in his second term, space is all but certain to be a priority for the administration.
Trump has also tapped Matt Lohmeier to be Air Force undersecretary, according to a person familiar with the plans. Lohmeier is a former Space Force lieutenant colonel who was fired after appearing on a conservative podcast to promote a book he wrote alleging that Marxist ideologies are prevalent in the military.
Editor's note: This post was updated at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.