FEBRUARY 15, 2023 – Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones will step down and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller Kristyn E. Jones, will perform the duties of under secretary of the Air Force, effective March 6.
“Throughout her tenure, Under Secretary Jones has been a tireless advocate for the Department of the Air Force and its people. Her leadership in enabling all Airmen, Guardians, and their families to serve to their full potential and providing the resources they need has enhanced the readiness of the Air and Space Force for years to come. The department is grateful for her dedicated service,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said. “Kristyn Jones will do a fantastic job keeping the momentum going.”
The second-highest civilian leader of the Air Force, Ortiz Jones was appointed by President Joe Biden in April 2021.
She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in July of that year — becoming the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve as undersecretary for any service branch.
Since May 4, 2022, Kristyn Jones provided financial management and analytical services necessary for the effective and efficient use of Air Force resources, to include nearly 700,000 military and civilian personnel and a budget of more than $194 billion.
The 42-year-old former Air Force intelligence officer served under the military’s now-repealed “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, a discriminatory law that prohibited openly LGBTQ service members from serving in the armed forces.
In September 2021, when reflecting on the tenth anniversary of the law’s repeal, Ortiz Jones said she had always kept in mind what it felt like “when we had leaders that weren’t cognizant of my life experience.”
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs