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Pentagon Revokes Former SECAF Kendall's Security Clearance

Air & Space Forces Magazine · back to the audit
The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's clearance, "alleging he disclosed classified information about the VC-25B Bridge 'Air Force One' aircraft—a charge he pushed back on." Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the decision late Aug. 7, saying the department revoked Kendall's "eligibility for access to classified information and his ability to hold any sensitive position."

"Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty." "Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."

Kendall (NYT, on the jet): "Time didn't permit all the normal Air Force One modifications, so some mix of security, communications and support is missing."

Kendall, denying wrongdoing: "I've been extremely careful to not say anything that could be classified." "So far, no one has told me what I'm supposed to have revealed."

Kendall said he had "no direct communication" with the government about the decision and is "planning legal action"; he has "held a security clearance for 60 years."

Parnell's statement did not specify what classified information Kendall allegedly disclosed or which outlet published it. The article points to a July 9 New York Times piece about the new VC-25 presidential transport as the apparent basis.

Kendall told the magazine he was not one of the unnamed officials in the NYT article claiming the aircraft specifically lacked defensive countermeasures.

The VC-25B Bridge is a Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 stopgap until delayed new VC-25Bs enter service in 2028; modifications took under a year at an estimated $400 million. The Bridge aircraft entered service in July and flew Trump to a NATO summit in Turkey, though he departed on the older VC-25A.

Kendall's criticisms cited: firings of top military lawyers, lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, and the administration's Iran war strategy; he recently released the book "Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare, Whether We Like It or Not."