{"id":9940,"date":"2026-08-08T03:09:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=9940"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:09:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:09:37","slug":"pentagon-strips-ex-air-force-secretary-kendall-of-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=9940","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon strips ex-Air Force secretary Kendall of security clearance over Air Force One claim"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133045668,imgsize-137976,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg\" alt=\"Pentagon strips ex-Air Force secretary Kendall of security clearance over Air Force One claim\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former Air Force secretary Frank Kendall has been stripped of his security clearance and barred from from holding \u201cany sensitive position,&#8221; after the Pentagon accused him of sharing classified details about Air Force One&#8217;s capabilities with the media.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the action on Friday, saying it was effective immediately. \u201cEffective immediately, the Department of War has REVOKED former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall\u2019s eligibility for access to classified information and his ability to hold any sensitive position,\u201d Parnell wrote on X.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Parnell did not identify the outlet Kendall allegedly shared the information with. <!-- -->Kendall told news agency AP late Friday that he was \u201ccompletely mystified\u201d by the revocation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>The move follows reporting last month, including by The New York Times, about security concerns surrounding the new Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar. The aircraft underwent a $400 million retrofit and has been used domestically, while US president Donald Trump also flew on it to Turkey last month.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>\u201cI\u2019ve always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not,\u201d Kendall told AP, adding, \u201cNo one has said anything to me about what I\u2019m asserted to have revealed and I can\u2019t imagine what it could be.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>The Times reported last month that the new aircraft lacked some of the advanced security features of the older Air Force One jets. Two former Air Force officials told the newspaper they were surprised Trump had used the new aircraft overseas, where security risks were greater.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>Kendall, who served under former president Joe Biden, was quoted by The New York Times as saying, \u201cTime didn\u2019t permit all the normal Air Force One modifications, so some mix of security, communications and support is missing.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>\u201cWith the Iran situation, this could be of concern,\u201d Kendall said. \u201cFrankly, I\u2019m surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Kendall had been in charge of the Air Force when the department was pressing Boeing to accelerate its delayed contract for two new Air Force One aircraft. He later told US media organisations that the Qatari aircraft would have required three to four years of modifications to meet the standards of the older Boeing 747s.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Trump flew the Qatari aircraft to Turkey for a Nato summit but later switched to an older Air Force One aircraft to leave the summit as the US launched airstrikes on Iran and Tehran attacked three Gulf Arab states.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Trump reportedly made the switch at the urging of the Secret Service. He later denied that the change was prompted by security concerns, while saying he was under threat \u201call the time\u201d and was Iran\u2019s \u201cNo. 1\u201d target.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>The Air Force has defended the rapid conversion of the aircraft, saying it was carried out \u201cwithout accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications\u201d. It has, however, acknowledged differences in the aircraft\u2019s capabilities.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>The Air Force said \u201cseveral highly complex engineering modifications\u201d required for the new US-made Air Force One aircraft were deliberately excluded from the Qatari jet\u2019s conversion. <!-- -->It also acknowledged that the aircraft did not receive wider exit doors or multiple stairs built into its hull.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>The dispute has also drawn attention to the government\u2019s handling of media reporting on the aircraft. The Justice Department subpoenaed New York Times reporters seeking to compel them to identify sources behind the reporting. The subpoenas were withdrawn last month after criticism from a judge over the department\u2019s legal work.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>Parnell said the Pentagon considered protection of classified information a fundamental obligation. \u201cSafeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThose who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>However, this is not an isolated incident, the Trump administration has previously revoked security clearances from current and former national security officials. <!-- -->Parnell did not say whether Kendall\u2019s case would be referred for prosecution, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions on the matter.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Such allegations can lead to criminal referrals over suspected violations of the Espionage Act.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>The Obama administration had charged former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden after he leaked US surveillance secrets and fled to Russia. More recently, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member received 15 years in prison in 2024 for leaking classified Ukraine war documents, described as a major national security breach.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/pentagon-strips-ex-air-force-secretary-kendall-of-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-claim\/articleshow\/133045660.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Air Force secretary Frank Kendall has been stripped of his security clearance and barred from from holding \u201cany sensitive position,&#8221; after the Pentagon accused him of sharing classified details about Air Force One&#8217;s capabilities with the media.Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the action on Friday, saying it was effective immediately. \u201cEffective immediately, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Former Air Force secretary Frank Kendall has been stripped of his security clearance and barred from from holding \u201cany sensitive position,&#8221; after the Pentagon accused him of sharing classified details about Air Force One&#8217;s capabilities with the media.Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the action on Friday, saying it was effective immediately. \u201cEffective immediately, the [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-secretary-of-the-us-air-force-frank-kendall-photo-credit-ap.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}