WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has stripped former U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall of his eligibility to access classified information and blocked him from serving in any sensitive position, accusing him Friday of sharing sensitive details with the media about Air Force One’s capabilities.
The move comes after reports last month, including coverage by The New York Times, raised security questions about the new Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar. Those reports noted concerns that the plane did not include the same advanced antimissile protections found on its predecessor.
Kendall, speaking to The Associated Press late Friday, said he was “completely mystified” by the Pentagon’s decision.
“I’ve always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not,” Kendall said. “No one has said anything to me about what I’m asserted to have revealed and I can’t imagine what it could be.”
The aircraft had received a $400 million retrofit and modernization package before entering domestic service. President Donald Trump also used it for a trip to Turkey last month. However, he departed the NATO summit aboard an older Air Force One model as the United States carried out airstrikes on Iran and Tehran struck three Gulf Arab states.
According to The Times, Trump changed aircraft at the recommendation of the Secret Service because the newer jet lacked some of the older Air Force One’s enhanced security systems. Trump denied to reporters that the decision was driven by security concerns, though he also said he faces threats “all the time” and described himself as Iran’s “No. 1” target.
In The Times report, Kendall, who served as Air Force secretary under President Joe Biden, was quoted as saying the upgrade timeline would not have allowed for “all the normal Air Force One modifications.” He also said he was surprised the aircraft had been flown outside the United States.
Kendall defended his public comments Friday, saying, “I’ve been comfortable being on the record with reporters and on national television about the Qatari 747 because I’m confident that I haven’t said anything classified.”
In response to the reporting, the Justice Department subpoenaed the Times’ reporters to try to compel them to out their sources, which stirred fears over press freedoms. The department, after criticism from the judge for sloppy legal work, grudgingly withdrew the subpoenas last month.
The Air Force has argued that the rapid conversion of the jet was done “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but it also has acknowledged the different capabilities. It said “several highly complex engineering modifications” required for the new U.S.-made Air Force One aircraft were intentionally excluded in the modifications to the plane from Qatar. The Air Force acknowledged it did not widen the doors leading out of the aircraft or include multiple stairs built into the hull of the plane.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell didn’t specify in a post on X which media outlet Kendall was accused of sharing classified information with.
“Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty,” he wrote. “Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.”
It’s not the first time the Trump administration has revoked security clearances, including of 37 then-current and former national security officials last year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also pulled security protections and clearance for Gen. Mark Milley, retired Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, soon after the administration took office.
Parnell didn’t say if Kendall was being referred for prosecution, and the Pentagon declined to provide more information. Typically, such accusations are partnered with referrals for prosecution over violations of the Espionage Act.
A well-known example was when the Obama administration filed charges against Edward Snowden, a former intelligence agency contractor who publicly disclosed a massive trove of secret documents about U.S. surveillance operations before fleeing to Russia.
More recently, a federal judge sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison in 2024 for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine. That was the most consequential national security breach in years.
