The White House nominated Maj. Gen. Christopher J. Niemi for a third star to head a revamped A5/7 directorate and become the Air Force’s first Chief Modernization Officer.
The new role makes Niemi both Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements and the visionary for Air Force modernization, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Niemi is currently the military deputy to that job.
The new title ends a yearslong experiment that called the organization Air Force Futures, which was responsible for charting the service’s future force design. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced in October that requirement-setting functions once envisioned as part of a planned Integrated Capabilities Command would devolve to the A5/7 portfolio.
Meink and other officials have called this new arrangement “A5/7 Next,” and on April 1 the Air Force announced the reorganization was underway and the directorate would be led by a Chief Modernization Officer responsible for synchronizing Air Force-wide efforts in four areas:
- Force design
- Mission integration
- Capability development and requirements
- Modernization investment prioritization
“The transformation of our organization reflects a deliberate shift toward a more integrated modernization enterprise—one that ensures the capabilities developed today are informed by force design, resourced effectively and delivered at the pace required for future conflict,” Niemi said in the April 1 announcement.
A fighter pilot selected to be among the first operational test pilots for the F-22 in the early 2000s, Niemi headed the provisional Integrated Capabilities Command from September 2025 to March 2026, when the planned command was deactivated. ICC had been one of the most far-reaching elements of the “reoptimization for great power competition” unveiled by then Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall in February 2024. Kendall wanted to centralize the requirements process rather than spread it out, with Air Combat Command dictating fighter requirements, Air Force Global Strike determining bomber requirements, and Air Mobility Command deciding on airlift and tanker needs.
But when President Trump took office in January 2025, those changes were frozen pending a review by the new administration. Meink ultimately chose not to follow through on the concept..
Still, ICC’s core functions appear set to live on in the new A5/7 under Niemi, who had previously worked on building out ICC.
Niemi’s bio shows extensive experience in plans, programs, and requirements, having held that responsibility at both Pacific Air Forces and Air Combat Command in prior roles. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels, including spending a year as head of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center.