MAY 22, 2025 – Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, alongside Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee to outline the Department of the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget priorities and the growing challenges facing the service, May 20. This hearing marked Meink’s first appearance before the committee in his role as Secretary.
Meink emphasized that the Department stands at an “inflection point,” balancing the need to generate readiness today while modernizing for the future. He pointed to a shifting global security environment, particularly China’s rapid military growth, as a central driver of the Department’s strategy.
“We are engaging in a fast-paced race for technological superiority against a well-resourced strategic opponent,” Meink said. “However, we simultaneously face personnel and platform challenges affecting our immediate readiness. We must balance our requirement to generate readiness and project power today with the imperative to rebuild our military and develop capabilities so that we can continue deterring our adversaries tomorrow.”
He said the Department’s top priorities include homeland defense, particularly nuclear modernization, deterring China through investments in readiness, forward posture in the Indo-Pacific, and force development.
Programs such as the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, B-21 Raider, Long-Range Standoff weapon programs, and nuclear command and control are cornerstones of this modernization effort. Meink also expressed strong support for the President’s “Golden Dome for America” initiative, noting the Air Force will play a significant role in the early architecture and execution of the project.
Meink emphasized the Department’s focus on people as a strategic asset, citing ongoing efforts to strengthen readiness across the force.
“We believe that our people are and will continue to be our nation’s key competitive advantage,” he said. “We are working to train our Airmen and Guardians to confront the brutal challenges that warfare without sanctuary presents. We are emphasizing readiness standards by creating new inspections, assessments and exercises geared toward preparing our personnel for this environment.”
Meink also highlighted that the Department of the Air Force is prepared to provide critical capabilities and forces to the joint force in order to defeat our adversaries if deterrence fails. This will be done through a mix of current and future combat systems designed to operate both from within and outside contested environments.
He also said that the Department of the Air Force is looking to streamline infrastructure, retire outdated systems, and an accelerated path to a clean audit—measures that aim to ensure taxpayer resources directly support combat capability and mission effectiveness.
Meink closed his remarks by thanking Congress for its continued support while making clear that the stakes are high. He underscored the Department’s commitment to delivering a force ready to fight tonight, prepared for tomorrow, and aligned with the nation’s most urgent defense priorities.
By Staff Sgt. Emmeline James
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs