NRO’s Meink Is Trump’s Choice for Secretary of the Air Force

Troy Meink, an experienced national security space professional, is President-elect Trump’s choice to be the next Secretary of the Air Force. Currently Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, which works closely with U.S. Space Force, Meink will be in charge of USSF once confirmed. USSF is part of the Department of the Air Force.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Meink will ensure the “Air Force is the most effective and deadly force in the World…”

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Troy Meink will be the next United States Secretary of the Air Force.

Troy currently serves as the Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and began his career as a KC-135 Tanker Navigator, and later, as a test engineer for missile defense systems.

Troy will work with our incredible Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to ensure that our Nation’s Air Force is the most effective and deadly force in the World, as we secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.

Congratulations Troy!  Jan 16, 2025, 2:58 PM — Donald Trump

The USSF was created during Trump’s first term as the first new military service since the Air Force was established in 1947.  Efforts to create a military service for space separate from the Air Force began in Congress in 2017, but Trump was instrumental in its formation by overruling DOD and Air Force objections and directing them to work with Congress to get it done as part of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Trump signed the NDAA into law on December 20, 2019. The Space Force and the Air Force comprise the Department of the Air Force (DAF), which is led by the Secretary of the Air Force, currently Frank Kendall. If confirmed by the Senate, Meink will be Kendall’s successor.

According to his biography, Meink entered the Air Force in 1988 through the ROTC program at South Dakota State University and began his career as a KC-135 Tanker Navigator and Instructor. He moved on to serve as a lead test engineer for the Missile Defense Agency, then managed several Air Force research and development programs and became Director of Signals Intelligence Acquisition at NRO, which designs, builds and operates the nation’s spy satellites.

Meink moved on to become Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space, and returned to the NRO as Director, Geospatial Intelligence System Acquisition in 2017. In October 2020, Meink was appointed to the second highest position in the NRO, Principal Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office (PDDNRO), working with NRO Director Chris Scolese.