Incoming President Donald Trump announced Jan. 17 he will nominate former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier to be the next undersecretary of the Air Force.
If confirmed, Lohmeier would serve as the No. 2 civilian in the Department of the Air Force and the deputy to Trump’s Air Force Secretary pick, Troy Meink.
Lohmeier came to public prominence in 2021, when he self-published a book alleging that Marxist ideology had become widespread in the military. In the book and a subsequent podcast appearance, he criticized the Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and claimed conservative viewpoints were being silenced among senior leaders.
Then-Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting removed Lohmeier from his post as commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron, over a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. A spokesperson said at the time that the decision was based on his podcast comments. Whiting is now the four-star commander of U.S. Space Command, one of the U.S. military’s 11 combatant commands.
Shortly after being fired, Lohmeier separated from the military. Since, he briefly hosted his own podcast and became a regular guest on others, keeping up his criticism of the military’s leadership.
Now he is poised to return to the Department of the Air Force, and Trump suggested Lohmeier will reverse or eliminate many of the policies and programs he has criticized
“Matthew will work with the GREAT Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to end the devastating ‘woke’ policies that have destroyed our Military, and make our Country STRONG AGAIN,” Trump wrote.
If both Meink and Lohmeier are confirmed, the Department of the Air Force’s top civilian leaders will each have deep backgrounds in space. While previous senior leaders have had some experience in the domain, Meink and Lohmeier would be perhaps the most space-knowledgeable combination ever.
Lohmeier graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2006 and spent the first part of his career as a pilot, flying the T-38 as an instructor pilot, followed by the F-15C. By 2015, he was in his first space-focused assignment, and in 2020, he transferred over to the Space Force. Shortly thereafter, he took command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, responsible for providing missile warning and tracking worldwide.
Trump’s picks of Meink and Lohmeier may be a sign that the young service will receive extra focus in the new administration. Trump championed the Space Force’s creation in his first term, and after early years of explosive growth, USSF leaders have said their service needs more resources and manpower to keep up with a growing mission set, as they face their first ever budget cut in 2025.