NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Air Force Secretary Troy Meink indicated Monday that he expects the service to have a new chief of staff by the time current chief Gen. David Allvin retires.
“We’re not gonna not have a chief,” Meink said during a roundtable with reporters after being asked about the potential vacancy of the service’s top two uniformed positions.
Allvin surprised many in August when he announced he would retire in November, about halfway through his four-year term as the service’s 23rd chief of staff. Allvin said he would remain chief of staff until his successor is nominated and confirmed.
The service has been without a vice chief since February, when President Donald Trump fired Gen. Jim Slife, along with multiple other top Pentagon leaders. The White House in July nominated Gen. Thomas Bussiere to be the next vice chief, but Aviation Week reported earlier this month that his nomination was withdrawn.
Meink declined to comment about the likelihood of a chief of staff nomination coming soon, saying the process has to work its way through the administration. But he reiterated that he and Allvin will work together to ensure a new chief of staff will be in place in time for Allvin’s departure.
Defense One reported in August that Allvin’s abrupt retirement was prompted by his strong push for an Air Force reorganization, the “Reoptimization for Great Power Competition,” which began under the previous administration.
At Monday’s roundtable, Meink said he and his leadership team at the Air Force are still considering what organizational changes might be needed, but decisions are not far off and will be rolled out in the next few months.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
