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Kendall’s clearance revoked
The Pentagon revoked former U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding “any sensitive position,” alleging he disclosed sensitive information about Air Force One’s capabilities to the media.
“barred him from holding “any sensitive position,” alleging Friday that he disclosed sensitive information about Air Force One's capabilities to the media.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the action was effective immediately and that it “follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet.”
The revocation followed reporting last month, including from The New York Times, on security concerns over the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One and allegations that it lacked advanced antimissile capabilities of its predecessor.
The aircraft underwent a $400 million retrofit and upgrade and was used for domestic travel, and President Donald Trump also flew on it to Turkiye last month, while he used an older Air Force One aircraft to leave the NATO summit as the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran and Tehran attacked three Gulf Arab states.
Kendall told The Associated Press late Friday that he was “completely mystified” by the revocation, saying he had been “extremely careful to not say anything classified” and that “as far as I know I have not.”
Press freedom and denials
Kendall’s denial came as the Justice Department subpoenaed The New York Times reporters in an effort to compel them to reveal their sources, a move that stirred fears over press freedoms before the department withdrew the subpoenas after criticism from the judge for sloppy legal work.
In a statement on X, Parnell wrote, “Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty,” adding that “Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.”
The New York Times reporting also described the Secret Service advising President Trump not to leave a NATO summit in Turkey on the Qatari-gifted plane, and the president instead taking the older jet out of an abundance of caution for a potential threat from Iran.
Trump denied to reporters that the switch was due to security concerns, while also saying he is under threat “all the time” and is Iran’s “No. 1” target.
Kendall told The Hill he had been “extremely careful to not say anything that could be classified,” and he said “So far no one has told me what I’m supposed to have revealed.”
Security gaps and fallout
The dispute over Air Force One capabilities has been tied to the Qatari-gifted jet’s rapid conversion, with the Air Force arguing the work was done “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” while also acknowledging differences in capabilities.
“The Air Force has argued that the rapid conversion of the jet was done "without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,"”
The Air Force said “several highly complex engineering modifications” required for the new U.S.-made Air Force One aircraft were intentionally excluded from the modifications to the plane from Qatar, and it acknowledged the aircraft did not widen the doors leading out or include multiple stairs built into the hull.
Kendall, who served as Air Force secretary from July 2021 until January 2025 during the Biden administration, said in reporting that the time for upgrades would not have been enough for “all the normal Air Force One modifications,” and he was surprised the plane was used outside the U.S.
The revocation also fits into a broader pattern of security-clearance actions during the Trump administration, including that it revoked the clearances of 37 current and former national security officials last year and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled security protections and clearance for Gen. Mark Milley.
The Pentagon did not specify whether Kendall was being referred for prosecution, and the cases described in the coverage include the Obama administration filing charges against Edward Snowden after he disclosed a large cache of secret documents before fleeing to Russia, and a federal judge sentencing a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison in 2024 for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.
