MAY 14, 2025 – Dr. Troy E. Meink was confirmed May 13 by the Senate as 27th Secretary of the Air Force, placing a trained engineer who rose through ROTC to senior positions, including those focusing on space, as the Department’s highest-ranking civilian leader.
The 74-25 vote reflected both Meink’s well-known record from previous active duty and policy jobs and his philosophy for leading the Department of the Air Force.
That philosophy was spelled out most recently in Meink’s testimony March 27 during his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The Department is building and operating some of the most complex systems ever fielded in both air and space,” Meink said at the time. “We need not only the right number of Airmen and Guardians, but also need the right skills, training, support and focus to deliver and operate those systems.”
He added that, if confirmed, his goal is “to organize, train, and equip the Department of the Air Force to have the lethality needed to deter all potential aggressors, and if necessary, win in conflict.”
Meink also discussed how his past jobs will help in his new role.
“A big part of these jobs was understanding the threat I was building systems to have to support against this quickly evolving threat,” he said. “These threats have shaped my perspective.”
Meink’s confirmation fills out the Department’s highest-level civilian and military leadership. He joins Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman as the officials responsible for guiding the Department.
As the Department’s confirmed Secretary with all the authorities that status conveys, Meink will move fast – with Allvin’s and Saltzman’s assistance – to begin shaping, modernizing and positioning the Air Force and Space Force as needed to defend the nation and its interests.
In broad strokes, Meink has said that effort includes such priorities as developing a more robust missile defense shield and the F-47 fighter, both high priorities for the Trump Administration.
Meink has also emphasized working to increase competition and expand the industrial base. That is something he has focused on in his previous job as the National Reconnaissance Office Principal Deputy Director.
Meink told the Senate Armed Services Committee about his time there that he “significantly accelerated delivery of capability and at a lower cost. I intend to bring that same drive for innovation to the Department.”
He agreed that maintaining space superiority is a priority. He underscored the importance of the nuclear deterrent and modernizing the land-based leg.
Like his predecessors, Meink said he will draw on his deep experience to bring speed and efficiency to the often-lumbering acquisition effort. “We need to streamline the acquisition and budgeting processes,” he told the committee, adding, “with appropriate fiscal controls. I’ve helped lead my current organization to 16 clean financial audits, which I believe is a record in the national security enterprise.”
Meink arrives as a Secretary with a wealth of experience. A native of South Dakota, Meink entered the Air Force through ROTC in 1988 at South Dakota State University. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and later earned a doctorate in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Ohio State University.
He has logged time as a KC-135 navigator and instructor and as a lead test engineer for the design and evaluation of ballistic missile test vehicles for the Missile Defense Agency.
Across his time with the Department of Defense, Meink has managed multiple next generation joint research and development programs transitioning global space capabilities, optical sensors, and advanced structures. He has also led multiple communications organizations within the Air Force and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks and Information Integration.
By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs