Pete Hegseth faced an important test on Tuesday — but he didn't just have to prove himself to the senators who immediately began sparring over his nomination as defense secretary.

President-elect Trump on Thursday named Troy Meink, a top spy chief who has previously served as a missile engineer, as his pick for secretary of the Air Force. Trump said in a statement on Truth Social that Meink would work with his Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth “to ensure that our Nation’s Air Force

Lohmeier, a former fighter pilot, was a lieutenant colonel in the Space Force when he was fired after going on a conservative podcast to promote his self-published book, "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military,