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WASHINGTON — The White House has nominated a former Air Force officer and advocate for the Space Force to be the deputy administrator of NASA.
The White House formally transmitted the nomination of Matthew Anderson to be NASA deputy administrator to the Senate May 6. The White House did not otherwise announce the nomination, which was not widely publicized until a social media post May 7 by the Space Force Association, where he serves as chief growth officer.
Anderson served in the Air Force for 24 years, retiring as a colonel in 2021. He was a pilot and instructor whose final assignment was senior liaison officer to U.S. Space Command, NORAD and U.S. Northern Command from U.S. Transportation Command.
After leaving the Air Force, he joined defense contractor CACI International as vice president, serving as Space Force and Air Force client executive. He has also held several positions at the Space Force Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the Space Force.
Anderson’s nomination took some in the space industry by surprise. They noted that while he has a background in national security space from his time in the Air Force and in industry, his interactions with NASA have been limited.
Their expectation was that the White House would nominate someone who had worked at, or with, NASA more extensively to complement Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator who has little experience with NASA.
In a May 7 statement, NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Petro, suggested Anderson’s background outside the agency would be a strength. “If confirmed, he would join NASA’s leadership team at a time when partnerships and a sharpened focus on mission are essential to our continued success,” she stated. “Along with President Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, Jared Isaacman, he will strengthen collaboration across sectors and help NASA advance exploration, serve the American people, and deliver results for the benefit of all.”
Anderson and Isaacman are familiar with each other. Anderson, in his Space Force Association role, interviewed Isaacman on stage at the group’s Spacepower Conference in December, shortly after Trump announced his intent to nominate Isaacman as administrator. Isaacman did not talk about the nomination in the interview but instead discussed American competitiveness in space and the role of commercial space.
On social media, Anderson has been an advocate for Isaacman’s nomination. “[W]e need ‘Rook’ confirmed as soon as possible!” he wrote in one social media post, referring to Isaacman by his pilot call sign, commenting on an article about former astronauts endorsing Isaacman’s nomination.
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