The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's access to classified information and barred him from sensitive positions, alleging he disclosed details about Air Force One's capabilities to the media, a move that fits a broader administration crackdown on national security leaks.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the action Friday in a post on X, declaring that Kendall's eligibility for classified access and his ability to hold any sensitive position were terminated effective immediately. The revocation follows media reports last month that raised security concerns about the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 now serving as Air Force One, including questions about whether the aircraft lacked advanced antimissile and security features found on its predecessor.
Kendall, who served as Air Force Secretary under President Joe Biden from 2021 through January 2025, was quoted in multiple media appearances discussing the plane's shortcomings. He told NPR that one month was not enough time to make meaningful hardware modifications to the aircraft, the Washington Examiner reported.
"A month is not enough time to do anything significant. Software could be done. Software changes can be made relatively easily anyplace. Hardware modifications? I'm having a hard time imagining any that could be done in a month that are of any serious significance."
Kendall also told CNN the Qatari-gifted jet would need three to four years of work to reach the same standards as the older Air Force One models, according to Breitbart. The Pentagon did not specify which media outlet or outlets it believed Kendall had shared classified information with.
Kendall has pushed back on the allegation. In a statement reported by the Associated Press, he said he had been careful about what he discussed publicly.
"I've always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not."
The Pentagon, for its part, offered no such ambiguity. Parnell's statement framed the revocation in absolute terms, as Newsmax reported.
"Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."
Parnell did not say whether Kendall had been referred for prosecution. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions on that point. Under federal law, unauthorized disclosure of classified national defense information can trigger prosecution under the Espionage Act, the same statute used against leakers in far more dramatic cases.
The controversy centers on the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8, which underwent a $400 million retrofit and upgrade before entering presidential service. The Air Force acknowledged that several highly complex engineering modifications standard on previous Air Force One aircraft were intentionally excluded from the newer plane. The Wall Street Journal published a report detailing that the jet lacked capabilities found on the older VC-25A presidential aircraft, including midair refueling and nuclear blast hardening, Fox News reported.
The New York Times reported last month that the Secret Service urged President Trump to switch to the older Air Force One model when departing a NATO summit, as the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran and Iran attacked three Gulf Arab states. Trump made the switch but denied to reporters that security concerns drove the decision, saying he faces threats "all the time" and describing himself as Iran's "No. 1" target.
White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the aircraft, calling it "a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff."
Kendall's connection to the plane runs deep. He coordinated the selection of the Boeing 747-8 platform in 2015, long before the Qatari gift brought the model into presidential service. His public comments about the aircraft's deficiencies carried the weight of someone who helped shape the program, which may explain why the Pentagon treated his media appearances as more than idle speculation.
The leak investigation extended beyond Kendall. The Justice Department subpoenaed four New York Times reporters to compel them to identify their sources for the original Air Force One security story. A judge criticized the department's legal work as sloppy, and the DOJ ultimately withdrew the subpoenas last month.
The withdrawal did not signal a broader retreat. The Trump administration has made classified leaks a priority enforcement target, and the Pentagon and Justice Department have formed a joint task force to pursue unauthorized disclosures from within the defense establishment.
Kendall's case fits a pattern. The administration revoked security clearances for 37 current and former national security officials last year. War Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled security protections and clearance for retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley soon after taking office. President Trump himself has described leakers in blunt terms, treating unauthorized disclosures as a direct threat to national security.
The Pentagon's action against Kendall, revoking access but stopping short of announcing a criminal referral, stands in contrast to how the government has handled other classified disclosures. Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who disclosed a massive trove of secret surveillance documents, faced charges filed by the Obama administration and fled to Russia. A Massachusetts Air National Guard member was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2024 for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to retaining classified material connected to his anti-Trump memoir, another case in a growing line of former officials held accountable for mishandling sensitive information.
Whether Kendall faces prosecution remains an open question. The Pentagon did not address it, and Kendall did not respond to requests for comment. But the clearance revocation alone carries real consequences: it bars him from any future government role requiring access to classified material and signals that the administration views his public statements as more than careless, it views them as a breach.
Former officials who treat classified knowledge as a credential to flash on cable news should take note. Access to national secrets is a privilege, not a permanent perk, and this administration has shown it is willing to revoke the card.
