The Pentagon reported that it had revoked former U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s access to classified information and barred him from holding positions involving access to sensitive data. The reason cited was the alleged unauthorized disclosure of information about the capabilities of the presidential aircraft Air Force One, reports AP, writes UNN.
The decision was announced by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. According to him, Kendall is no longer entitled to access classified information or hold any position requiring such access.
Safeguarding classified information is an absolute obligation. Those who violate that trust lose the right to access it and to hold any position that requires it
At the same time, the Pentagon representative did not specify to which media outlet Kendall allegedly passed the classified information.
Kendall denies the allegations
The former head of the U.S. Air Force himself told AP that the Pentagon’s decision surprised him. According to him, he had always followed the rules for handling classified information and did not understand what exactly he was being accused of.
"I am completely bewildered. I have always been extremely careful and never knowingly said anything classified. As far as I know, I did not do so. No one told me what exactly I allegedly disclosed, and I cannot imagine what this could be about," Kendall said.
The Pentagon’s decision is linked to recent reports by U.S. media outlets about a new Air Force One aircraft donated to the United States by Qatar.
The aircraft is a Boeing 747 that underwent an upgrade costing about $400 million. The plane has already been used within the United States, and President Donald Trump flew it to Turkey.
What was the problem with the new Air Force One
U.S. media outlets had previously reported that the new aircraft might lack some of the sophisticated defense systems installed on the previous Air Force One.
In particular, the reports said that certain advanced missile-defense systems and other security systems were absent. At the same time, the U.S. Air Force stated that the aircraft’s rapid upgrade had been carried out without introducing additional risks to security, secure communications, or operations.
At the same time, the Air Force acknowledged that a number of sophisticated engineering systems intended for the future American Air Force One had not been installed during the conversion. Among other things, this concerned certain structural modifications to the aircraft.
Kendall, who headed the Air Force under U.S. President Joe Biden, had previously commented to journalists on the aircraft’s characteristics. He stated that there had not been enough time to fully upgrade it to Air Force One standards.
"I felt comfortable commenting on this Boeing 747 to journalists and on television because I was confident that I had not disclosed any classified information," Kendall said.
Trump previously switched aircraft during a trip
The capabilities of the new aircraft drew particular attention because of an incident during Trump’s international trip. After the NATO summit, the U.S. president left Turkey on the older Air Force One.
According to U.S. media reports, the decision to use the older aircraft was linked to security considerations and recommendations from the Secret Service. Trump, meanwhile, denied that the aircraft switch had been caused by security problems.
Against the backdrop of these reports, the U.S. Department of Justice even demanded that The New York Times disclose the sources of journalists who had reported on the aircraft’s characteristics. The department later withdrew the relevant subpoenas following criticism from a judge.
The Pentagon has not yet said whether criminal charges could be brought against Kendall. It is also unknown what specific information U.S. authorities consider classified and how it was allegedly passed to the media.
This is not the first case under the current Trump administration in which former or current officials have been stripped of access to classified information.
At the same time, in Kendall’s case, the Pentagon has not so far reported referring the matter to law enforcement authorities for criminal prosecution.