Air Force Secretary Troy Meink testifies March 27, 2025, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Troy Meink, an Air Force veteran who flew missions in the Gulf War and helped oversee America’s spy satellites, was approved Tuesday to serve as the next Air Force secretary.
The Senate confirmed Meink for the post in a 74-25 vote. He most recently served as the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office and said space capabilities would be a top priority in his new job.
“We need to innovate faster,” he told the Senate Armed Service Committee during his confirmation hearing in March.
Meink began his career in the Air Force in 1988 through the ROTC program at South Dakota State University and initially served as a navigator and instructor for the KC-125 refueling tanker.
He later flew more than 100 flights during the Gulf War in Iraq, including eight combat and 29 combat-support missions.
After transitioning to the Air Force Reserve in 1994, Meink worked as the lead engineer for the design and evaluation of ballistic test vehicles for the Missile Defense Agency.
Meink served as the undersecretary of the Air Force for Space from 2013 to 2014 and in 2020 was appointed by President Donald Trump to help lead the federal government’s spy satellite agency.
His tenure at the National Reconnaissance Office has come under scrutiny after Reuters reported Meink had tailored the requirements for a multibillion-dollar classified satellite contract in 2021 to benefit Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Two Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, expressed concern about Meink’s ability to treat contractors fairly and “prioritize the Air Force’s mission over Elon Musk’s business interests.”
“These are incredibly serious allegations of misconduct and favoritism,” the senators wrote in a February letter to Meink.
Meink has denied the allegations in the Reuters report. However, he confirmed in written answers to the committee that Musk was one of the people present during Trump’s interview with Meink, though only the president asked questions.
“I have no relationship with SpaceX or Mr. Musk outside of a professional relationship in the execution of my current duties,” Meink said, according to Politico.
Meink said he planned to focus on recruiting and retaining highly skilled personnel who are able to field the most complicated systems. One of his challenges will be a persistent shortage of pilots, including a deficit of more than 1,000 fighter pilots.
Meink said the Air Force has always struggled to keep enough pilots in its ranks and raising pay will only go so far.
“We need to make sure, not just with pilots but across our highly skilled areas within our workforce, that they have the opportunity to do what they’ve been trained, what they love to do,” he said during his confirmation hearing. “I think that could be a bigger impact on maintaining some of these highly technical skillsets.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday that Meink’s 35 years of military and public service experience encompassed “the breadth of the Air Force’s mission” and prepared him to lead the service branch “into the next frontier.”
“I look forward to seeing him take the Air Force to even greater heights,” he said.
