Matthew Lohmeier, President Trump’s pick to be Under Secretary for the Air Force, told lawmakers this week he believes that both the Air Force and Space Force need increased funding to achieve dominance in their respective domains.
“Combatant commanders are calling for more Air and Space power capacity not less. If confirmed I must be a stronger advocate for a larger and better funded Air and Space Force,” Lohmeier said on May 1 during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Given rising tensions in both air and space, Lohmeier stressed it is essential for the United States to achieve dominance in these warfighting domains – particularly “in space, which has become a strategic domain … and where the U.S. must prevail.”
Lohmeier emphasized that air and space capabilities are foundational to the success of President Trump’s national security agenda – including the Golden Dome missile defense system – and therefore need more funding.
For fiscal year 2025, the Department of the Air Force received a budget of roughly $217.5 billion, allocating $188.1 billion to the Air Force and $29.4 billion to the Space Force. That marked a 1.1 percent overall increase from the FY 2024 request, though the Space Force’s share reflected a decrease of $0.6 billion compared to the previous year.
However, with a reconciliation funding package expected to be approved soon in Congress, both services could see a significant boost to their budgets.
If the reconciliation package is approved, the Department of Defense is on track to receive its first-ever $1 trillion budget, with air and space capabilities ranking as the second-largest line items – driven in large part by efforts to develop the Golden Dome project.