The Senate on Tuesday voted 74-25 to confirm Troy Meink, who has been principal deputy director at the National Reconnaissance Office since 2020, as the 27th secretary of the Air Force, the service branch reported.
Improving Air Force Lethality
During his Senate confirmation hearing in March, Meink said that if confirmed, he aims 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.”
“The Department is building and operating some of the most complex systems ever fielded in both air and space,” he told lawmakers. “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.”
Maintaining Space Superiority
At the hearing, he noted that maintaining space superiority is a priority. He highlighted the nuclear deterrent’s importance and the need to modernize the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad.
Meink also stressed the need to expand the industrial base, boost competition, develop a more advanced missile defense shield, advance the F-47 fighter jet program and streamline the budgeting and acquisition processes.
Troy Meink’s Career Highlights
Meink has held several leadership roles at NRO, including director of geospatial intelligence systems acquisition and head of signal intelligence systems acquisition.
He served in the Department of the Air Force as deputy under secretary of the Air Force for space and director, executive agent for space staff.
He started his military career as a KC-135 tanker navigator and instructor. He went on to serve as lead test engineer for the design and evaluation of ballistic missile test vehicles for the Missile Defense Agency.
The South Dakota State University mechanical engineering graduate has a doctorate in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Ohio State University.
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