Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on 7/8 that former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's access to classified information was revoked, effective immediately. Parnell stated Kendall would not hold any sensitive positions within the department.

"We made this decision because he unlawfully disclosed classified information regarding Air Force One's capabilities to a media outlet", Parnell said, emphasizing that protecting classified information is an "uncompromising obligation".

VC-25B and VC-25A presidential aircraft taking off from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, on 4/7. Video: USAF

Parnell did not name the media outlet or specify the information Kendall allegedly disclosed. He also did not comment on whether Kendall would face prosecution. Kendall has not yet commented on the allegations.

The controversy surrounding the VC-25B's capabilities emerged during President Donald Trump's visit to Turkey on 7/7. Trump traveled aboard the VC-25B presidential aircraft, a Boeing 747-8i nicknamed "flying palace" that Qatar gifted to the US last year. However, the VC-25B's defensive capabilities drew attention when Trump departed Turkey on the older VC-25A, which has been in service for nearly 40 years. He then made an unscheduled stop at Mildenhall Air Force Base in the UK to switch back to the VC-25B.

Reports from the New York Times, citing sources, indicated that the US Secret Service advised President Trump to use the older VC-25A for security during escalating tensions with Iran. The newspaper revealed the new aircraft lacked several advanced defensive capabilities present on the older plane, including missile defense systems. The Wall Street Journal later reported that the new aircraft also lacked in-flight refueling capability and had not been reinforced to withstand nuclear blasts. The newspaper also mentioned differences in defense systems, aircraft stairs, baggage handling, and food storage.

VC-25B presidential aircraft taking off from Andrews Air Force Base on 1/7. Photo: AP

Kendall himself had commented in July that fully equipping a Boeing 747 for presidential duty could take three to four years. The newspaper quoted Kendall, who served as Air Force Secretary under former President Joe Biden, as saying that the upgrade time for the aircraft was insufficient for "all the usual improvements" for Air Force One. He also expressed surprise that the plane was used for operations outside US territory.

In contrast, defense company L3Harris completed the VC-25B presidential aircraft modification process in just 10 months. Company executives declined to disclose information about the aircraft's defensive and command systems, or which requirements the US Air Force relaxed or eliminated to accelerate progress compared to Boeing's complete VC-25B version.

Frank Kendall testifying before the US Senate Armed Services Committee in 5/2023. Photo: AP

Frank Kendall, 77, served as US Air Force Secretary from 2021 to 1/2025. Before that, he was Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics under former President Barack Obama. Kendall has a long-standing connection to the Air Force One modernization program. In 2015, while serving as the Pentagon's acquisition chief, he collaborated with then-Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to select the Boeing 747-8 as the platform for the next generation of presidential aircraft.

Thanh Danh (Based on AP, Fox)