Troy E. Meink

Dr. Troy E. Meink is the 27th Secretary of the Air Force, responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the U.S. Air and Space Forces. As the Department’s senior leader, he oversees an annual budget exceeding $200 billion, provides Air and Space forces to combatant commanders in support of global military operations, and is accountable for the welfare of nearly 680,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Airmen and Guardians and their families.

Dr. Meink recently served as the Principal Deputy Director at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he oversaw day-to-day management of the NRO, and acted on behalf of the Director in their absence. Prior to that position, he was the Director, Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisition (GEOINT) at the NRO, where he was responsible for the successful execution of all national geospatial intelligence satellite systems acquisitions with a budget of more than $15 billion.

Dr. Meink is from Lemmon, South Dakota, and entered the Air Force in 1988 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at South Dakota State University. His assignments have included operations and training, systems engineering, research and development, and program management of major defense acquisition programs. Dr. Meink began 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 the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (now Missile Defense Agency).

As an Air Force Civilian, he managed multiple next generation joint research and development programs transitioning global space capabilities, optical sensors, and advanced structures. He subsequently led development for the Military Satellite Communications Joint Program Office and served as program director for the Transformational Satellite Communications System. He was Director, Communications Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense/Networks and Information Integration, and the Director, Signal Intelligence Systems Acquisition, NRO. Dr. Meink left the NRO for a time when he was assigned to the Department of the Air Force as the Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space and the Director, Executive Agent for Space Staff in Washington, D.C. Dr. Meink then served as the Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Systems and Resource Analyses.

As a rated officer, Dr. Meink completed 100 sorties including 8 combat and 29 combat support missions in support of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Provide Comfort. He has authored 20 articles in professional journals and conference publications, has been awarded three patents, and designed, built, and flown two experimental aircraft. Dr. Meink currently flies an RV-8 experimental aircraft.