Matthew Lohmeier
Secretary of the Air Force
Matthew Lohmeier earned his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He received master’s degrees in military operations and strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. He served in the U.S. Air Force as an instructor pilot and later became a space officer.
Lohmeier commanded the 11th Space Warning Squadron of the U.S. Space Force. He was investigated and dismissed from the service after writing a book that was critical of military policy. He became an executive at a nonprofit and engaged in consulting and public speaking.
President Donald Trump nominated Lohmeier to serve as Under Secretary of the Air Force. The Senate confirmed him in July 2025.
Lohmeier is married and has a daughter. He is an independent Mormon. Lohmeier is a pilot with over 1,200 flight hours.
In the News…
The U.S. Air Force launched Project Able Baker under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to convert decommissioned offshore oil drilling platforms into sea-based rocket recovery stations to retrieve reusable rocket boosters. The project is intended to reduce the cost of rocket booster retrieval and repurpose the platforms to prevent them from becoming an environmental hazard.
The project seeks to identify three offshore platforms with suitable structural and environmental conditions. As part of the sea-based rocket booster recovery network, the platforms will require flame-deflection systems, remote fire suppression technology, and precision navigation aids.
The Air Force stated, “This approach aims to provide the U.S. Space Force and its commercial partners with a distributed network of recovery sites that enhance launch cadence, reduce sonic‑boom exposure, and leverage existing maritime infrastructure to lower operational costs.” The service added its project would reduce “dependence on expensive, custom-built drone ships” and facilitate “higher launch frequencies.”
