Braxton Taylor
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, according to a person familiar with the plans.
The official announcement of Trump’s intent to nominate Meink is expected later this afternoon, which would complete his 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 the person. Lohmeier is a former Space Force lieutenant colonel who was fired after appearing on a conservative podcast to promote he wrote alleging that Marxist ideologies are prevalent in the military.
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