Lohmeier Confirmed as Air Force’s No. 2 Civilian Leader

The Senate confirmed Matthew Lohmeier to serve as Air Force undersecretary in a 52-46 vote July 24, elevating the former Space Force officer to the service’s No. 2 civilian job four years after he was fired from command amid an investigation into whether his comments on a conservative podcast amounted to prohibited partisan rhetoric.

Lohmeier’s confirmation marks the first time the Air Force and Space Force have had the top two Senate-approved civilian leaders in place since the Trump administration took office in January. 

“Our Airmen and Guardians sacrifice a great deal to serve the American people,” he said in a release the same day. “They deserve all of the best tools, training, and support they need to perform their missions in an increasingly complex and quickly evolving threat environment. I’m honored to work alongside Secretary Meink in service of these great men and women.”

President Donald Trump nominated the former lieutenant colonel to the role Feb. 3. Edwin Oshiba, who handles long-term planning as the Air Force’s competitive activities director, has filled in as undersecretary for nearly six months. A service spokesperson did not immediately answer when Lohmeier will swear into the job.

As the Department of the Air Force’s No. 2 civilian, Lohmeier will oversee nearly 700,000 Airmen, Guardians and their families as well as an annual budget of more than $200 billion. He may take the lead on managing Air Force and Space Force personnel matters while Secretary Troy Meink—who comes from an engineering and acquisition background—gravitates toward shepherding the department’s sweeping modernization plans closer to fruition.

The 2006 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate began his active-duty career as an F-15 fighter pilot before transferring to Air Force Space Command and, later, the Space Force, as a missile warning officer. He rose to command the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, which was recently named the top Space Force unit of 2024 for its role in stopping an Iranian missile attack.

In May 2021, he published “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military,” alleging the U.S. armed forces were pushing one-sided politics and unfair narratives of American history and punishing independent thought. He was relieved of command later that year amid an investigation into whether his comments amounted to prohibited partisan activity after publicly criticizing military leadership for what he perceived as political bias.

“It teaches intensive teaching that I heard at my base—that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified White supremacy as the law of the land,” Lohmeier said of the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which explores the role of slavery in America’s founding, on The Steve Gruber Show. “If you want to disagree with that, then you start [being] labeled all manner of things, including racist.”

He separated from the Space Force in September 2021 and became a public speaker and consultant on “military culture and the preservation of liberty,” according to his biography.

Lohmeier’s nomination was cheered by those who contend he was wrongly targeted for his political beliefs.

At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in May, Lohmeier told lawmakers he would look to eliminate politics from the process of choosing which bases should host new equipment or organizations, and pledged to address “quality of life” and “quality of service” concerns that have pushed fighter pilots to leave the service.

“Combatant commanders are calling for more air and space power capacity, not less,” he said. “If confirmed, I must be a strong advocate for a larger and better funded Department of the Air Force. This includes eliminating all unnecessary distractions and enabling military members to focus on their mission.”

Much of the hearing centered on whether Lohmeier could fairly lead a department with hundreds of thousands of service members, many of whom disagree with his political views.

Senators also questioned whether Lohmeier’s activity on social media—which includes controversial posts about the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Clintons, Ukrainian bribes to U.S. politicians, coronavirus vaccines, and more—is befitting of a high-ranking DOD official. Lawmakers pressed him to answer whether he still believes Jan. 6 was a “gov’t-led false flag and hoax,” as he posted on X last August.

Picked this up in my base exchange at Buckley Air Force Base several weeks after J6. This is what the Biden/Harris administration ushered in; after a gov’t-led false flag and hoax at the Capitol, they immediately demonized the men and women in uniform. Then they purged… pic.twitter.com/8ycitowsmh

— Matt Lohmeier (@matthewlohmeier) August 10, 2024

Lohmeier told Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) he couldn’t recall writing the phrase, but that he “was quite enjoying private life and being able to criticize people as I wish.”

“Private citizens in this country can have the right to express their views, as mean or as wrong as they might be,” Lohmeier said. “My concern, while I was in uniform, was … that the kind of partisan rhetoric that I had used, that you’ve just quoted from, for example, was actually being inserted into the military workplace in a way that divides troops.”

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Lohmeier’s ability to represent troops who disagree with his politics.

“I’m concerned that you have a misguided opinion of American military service members and their leaders. If confirmed, you would lead an organization that, like the country it represents, is composed of Republicans, Democrats, independents, men and women of all races, creeds and sexualities,” Reed said at the confirmation hearing. “Yet your language suggests that you regard many of these men and women as adversaries to be rooted out and purged from the force.”

Lohmeier told senators he would pursue a “culture of accountability” but that he’s “not interested in retribution” for his firing.

“I’m very interested in nonpartisanship from our uniform wearers,” he said. “I have no vindictive spirit. … But I am interested, if confirmed, in looking forward and making sure we have proper accountability and high standards in the Department of the Air Force.”

Republicans on the committee had warmer words for the nominee. Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) praised Lohmeier as an “outspoken proponent of eliminating the divisive [diversity, equity and inclusion] agenda that was the hallmark of the Department of Defense” during the Biden administration. His nomination is a chance to “evaluate closely the kind of leadership we need in the Air Force and Space Force at this pivotal moment,” Wicker said.

Lohmeier is a vocal supporter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s policy priorities, including the effort to purge programs designed to bolster diversity in the ranks, and a critic of the Pentagon’s now-cancelled coronavirus vaccine mandate.

He told senators in written testimony his highest priorities in the seat would include the Air Force’s nuclear modernization programs, next-generation fighter acquisition, and development of a satellite network that can withstand attack. 

“I strongly believe that China poses the greatest military threat to our forces,” he wrote. “Ensuring that our modernization timelines are ahead of theirs is crucial. If confirmed, I commit to assisting the secretary and the department on shortening those timelines.”

Melissa Dalton, Lohmeier’s predecessor who served as Air Force undersecretary from May 2024 to January 2025, told Air & Space Forces Magazine deterring Chinese aggression will “require coalition building and advocacy across the Department of Defense to bolster support for the Air Force and Space Force.”

Lohmeier can also be a key voice as the services pursue solutions to joint problems like air base defense, and for progress and accountability in acquisition programs like the troubled new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, Dalton added.

“I hope that the next undersecretary invests time in people, governance, and processes that enable the Department of the Air Force to function effectively,” she said.