Matthew Lohmeier '06 is the 29th undersecretary 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. 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 undersecretary, 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, nonpartisan 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, Lohmeier is a veteran of both the U.S. Air Force and the 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, 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.

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.

2006 Bachelor of science in social sciences with a minor in Mandarin Chinese, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2019 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2020 Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

1. August 2006 – June 2007, executive officer, 358th Fighter Training Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
2. June 2007 – August 2008, student pilot in the T-6 and T-38, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Oklahoma
3. August 2008 – February 2009, T-38 Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
4. February 2009 – May 2012, T-38 instructor pilot and student flight commander, 25th Flying Training Squadron, Vance AFB, Oklahoma
5. May 2012 – January 2013, F-15C initial qualification training, 56th Fighter Training Squadron, Klamath Falls, Oregon
6. January 2013 – May 2013, F-15C aircraft commander, 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
7. May 2013 – October 2013, executive officer, 18th Operations Support Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
8. October 2013 – October 2014, deputy crew commander, 2nd Space Warning Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado
9. October 2014 – January 2016, chief of training, Block 10 Operations, Space-based Missile Warning, 460th Operations Support Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado
10. January 2016 – May 2017, executive officer, 460th Space Wing, Buckley AFB, Colorado
11. May 2017 – June 2018, aide-de-camp for General John J. Raymond, Air Force Space Command Commander, Peterson AFB, Colorado
12. June 2018 – June 2019, student, Schriever Scholars Program, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
13. June 2019 – June 2020, student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
14. June 2020 – May 2021, commander, 11th Space Warning Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado
15. September 2021 – July 2024, author and public speaker, Boise, Idaho
16. July 2024 – July 2025, executive vice president, STARRS Inc., Monument, Colorado
17. July 2025 – present, undersecretary of the Air Force, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia

Rating: Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 1,200
Aircraft Flown: F-15C/D, T-38C, T-6A

Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School
Distinguished graduate, F-15 Initial Qualification Training
Distinguished graduate, Officer Undergraduate Space Training
Distinguished graduate, Schriever Scholar Program

Irresistible Revolution, Matthew Lohmeier, May 2021
The Better Mind of Space, Air University Press, September 2020