Matthew L. Lohmeier

Matthew Lohmeier is the 29th Under Secretary of the Air Force. As the second-highest ranking civilian official, he is responsible for organizing, training and equipping the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. Mr. Lohmeier 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.

Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary, Lohmeier was Executive Vice President of the education-based nonprofit STARRS, Inc., and was a public speaker and consultant, educating audiences on the need for a strong, non-partisan military as the fundamental foundation of our national defense. Engaging audiences throughout the country, he sought to elevate the national security discourse in alignment with the Department of Defense’s vision of Restoring the Warrior Ethos and a Focus on Warfighting, Rebuilding the Military and Reestablishing Deterrence.

Uniquely, Mr. Lohmeier is a veteran of both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force. A 2006 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he served on active duty as a fighter pilot, flying over 1,200 hours in the T-38 and F-15C. At home, he was an instructor pilot, teaching the next generation of U.S and allied aviators. Overseas, he served in the Indo-Pacific theater, maintaining combat readiness and reassuring our partners of American resolve in the DOD’s most strategic area of responsibility. Following his transfer into the U.S. Space Force, Mr. Lohmeier was entrusted with command of our nation’s $18 billion space-based missile warning architecture, leading a combined team of U.S. and allied operators.

Mr. Lohmeier has two post-graduate degrees—a Master of Military Operational Art and Science and a Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, one of the DOD’s premier strategy schools.