A former Space Force officer who was previously relieved from his command role has been nominated to serve as the undersecretary of the Department of the Air Force.
On Friday, Jan. 17, President-elect Donald Trump announced his nominations for top roles in the Department of the Air Force, naming Matthew Lohmeier as his pick for undersecretary of the department. Lohmeier, a former officer with both the Air Force and Space Force, was fired from his command role at the 11th Space Warning Squadron in 2021, after appearing on a right-wing podcast.
In his appearance on the show while promoting his self-published book as an active-duty officer, Lohmeier endorsed political conspiracies that commonly circulate in far-right media. At the time, Space Force said that he was removed for a loss of confidence in his ability to lead and the decision “was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast.” Lohmeier left the military soon after.
Lohmeier graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2006. He served as a pilot and flight instructor, flying F-15Cs and T-38s. He continued to train airmen on space-focused roles starting in 2015. He was one of several Air Force officers who moved over to the new military branch after it was founded in late 2019, joining it in 2020. He served as the head of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, based out of Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado. The squadron monitors launches and trajectories of ballistic missiles. He left the military as a lieutenant colonel. Since leaving the military he has been a regular commentator on right-wing media. He’s now up for the second highest civilian job in the Department of the Air Force.
If both are confirmed, Lohmeier would serve as the deputy to Troy Meink. Meink, an Air Force veteran and former KC-135 Stratotanker navigator, previously served as a test engineer for the Missile Defense Agency. He currently serves as the principal deputy director for the National Reconnaissance Office. The NRO oversees intelligence and surveillance satellites. If confirmed as the Secretary of the Air Force, Meink would be in charge of both the Air Force and Space Force, the latter of which has been focused on procuring and launching new satellites into orbit.
Both nominees have experience with space-oriented operations inside the department; Meink previously was the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space and director for space staff.
As of press time, many of Trump’s cabinet nominees, including the potential Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, are awaiting confirmation votes in the United States Senate.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- Storied Marine infantry battalion to be transformed into Littoral Combat Team
- Soldiers are turning to social media when the chain of command falls short. The Army sees it as a nuisance.
- Marine recruit uniforms were photoshopped on at boot camp
- Army doctor pleads guilty on first day of trial in largest military abuse case
- Air Force ‘standards update’ includes more inspections and review of ‘waivers and exceptions’