Troy Meink | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 27thUnited States Secretary of the Air Force | |
| Assumed office May 16, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Matthew Lohmeier |
| Preceded by | Frank Kendall III |
| Principal Deputy Director of theNational Reconnaissance Office | |
| In office October 5, 2020 – May 16, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Frank Calvelli |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space | |
| In office November 2013 – June 2014 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Richard McKinney |
| Succeeded by | Winston Beauchamp |
| Personal details | |
| Education | South Dakota State University (BS) Ohio State University (MS,PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1988–1993 (active) 1994–1998 (reserve) |
| Unit | National Air and Space Intelligence Center |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War |
Troy Edward Meink[1] (/mink/MEENK) is an American government official who has served as the 27thsecretary of the Air Force since 2025.[2] He previously served as the principal deputy director of theNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Meink is fromLemmon, South Dakota.[3] He attendedSouth Dakota State University, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1988.[4] He later attendedOhio State University, earning amaster's degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in 1995 and adoctorate in the field in 1999.[4]
Meink entered theUnited States Air Force in 1988 through theReserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program at South Dakota State University.[5] He started his career as a KC-135 tanker navigator and instructor and then a lead test engineer for the design and evaluation of ballistic missile test vehicles for theMissile Defense Agency.[5] While a KC-135 tanker navigator, he was stationed atGrissom Air Force Base and served during theGulf War in Iraq.[4]
Meink subsequently led development for the Military Satellite Communications Joint Program Office and served as program director for theTransformational Satellite Communications System.[5] He was a director in the office of the assistant secretary of defense and a director for signal intelligence systems acquisition for theNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from 2006 to 2013.[5]
Meink then served as theDeputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space from November 2013 to June 2014.[5] Afterwards, he was assistant director of national intelligence for systems and resource analyses from 2014 to 2017, before becoming the director of Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisition at the NRO.[5] In October 2020, he was appointed the principal deputy director of the NRO by PresidentDonald Trump.[6] In this position, he oversaw a budget of over $15 billion to develop satellite capabilities.[3]
On January 16, 2025, President-elect Trump announced Meink as the nominee to serve asUnited States Secretary of the Air Force.[3] Meink's appointment had been quietly encouraged byElon Musk.[7] His nomination was confirmed by the Senate in a 74–25 vote on May 13,[8] and he was sworn in on May 16, 2025.[9]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.He is shaping not just policy but personnel decisions, including successfully pushing for Mr. Trump to pick Troy Meink as the Air Force secretary, according to three people with direct knowledge of his role.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gary A. Ashworth Acting | United States Secretary of the Air Force 2025–present | Incumbent |
