Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier—who was infamously fired by the Biden administration for speaking out against the Pentagon’s radical DEI agenda—has now been confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary of the Air Force. Once punished for exposing the creeping wokeism undermining military readiness, Lohmeier’s return to power signals a renewed commitment to merit, mission-first leadership, and restoring the armed forces to their core purpose: defending America, not promoting political ideology.
In a 52-46 party-line vote, Lohmeier was confirmed on Thursday by the Senate to be the Air Force's No. 2 civilian.
🚨 BREAKING: Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, who Biden FIRED for exposing rampant DEI in the Pentagon, has just been confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary of the Air Force
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 24, 2025
WHAT A COMEBACK! 🔥
Well deserved, @matthewlohmeier! 👏 pic.twitter.com/R1AnsPe3IM
In 2021, Lohmeier self-published a book titled Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military, in which he argued that Marxist ideas and critical race theory were infiltrating the U.S. military. In a podcast interview, he claimed that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts were based on critical race theory, which he linked to Marxism. He said these initiatives were dividing troops and damaging morale. Following those remarks, Space Force leadership relieved him of command, citing a “loss of trust and confidence,” and launched an investigation into whether he had violated rules against political activity by active-duty personnel. Lohmeier maintained that he followed all pre-publication protocols and never criticized his chain of command while in uniform. He was removed from his role leading the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado by then-Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, who now serves as a four-star general overseeing U.S. Space Command.
During Lohmeier’s Senate confirmation hearing in May, Democrats questioned him about his past firing and his controversial social media posts. They focused on his warning of “serious consequences” for unnamed senior military officials he accused of politicizing the armed forces, as well as a post suggesting the January 6 Capitol riot was a “government-led false flag and hoax.” Lohmeier defended himself, saying the comments about consequences weren’t meant as retribution and insisting his Jan. 6 remarks were being taken out of context. However, he avoided directly answering whether he still believed the attack was staged, instead saying there’s “so much uncertainty” about what really happened. Democrats argued that his statements and record should disqualify him from the role.
At the hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) spoke favorably of Lohmeier, calling him a strong advocate for ending what he described as harmful diversity initiatives in the military. Wicker said Lohmeier’s nomination offers a key chance to assess the type of leadership the Air Force and Space Force need during this critical ti
Just before his January inauguration, President Donald Trump selected Lohmeier to serve as the Air Force’s second-ranking civilian official, assigning him the mission of rolling back “woke” initiatives and reshaping military policy to align with his administration’s priorities.