Troy E. Meink has officially taken the reins as deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force for space, and as director, executive agent for space staff, in Washington, according to the service.

He replaces Richard W. McKinney, who retired from government service in November.

Meink, a former Air Force officer who has done stints at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center and at the National Reconnaissance (NRO), holds a doctorate in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. His job titles have included director of the Transformational Satellite Communications System and, most recently, director of signals intelligence systems acquisition at the NRO.