Coverage spread: 3 sources — 1 left · 1 center · 1 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- The Pentagon revoked Frank Kendall’s security clearance and barred him from sensitive positions, effective immediately Friday, over an alleged unauthorized disclosure about Air Force One’s capabilities.
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the move on social media but did not name the media outlet or specify what classified information was allegedly disclosed.
- Kendall says he was never told what he supposedly revealed and maintains he never disclosed classified information, expressing confusion at the action.
- The action follows weeks of media reporting, including by The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, on shortcomings in the Qatari-gifted Air Force One’s defensive capabilities compared to the older jet.
Where they differ
- CBS News gives the most detail on the NATO summit plane swap, including the credible Iranian missile threat that prompted the Secret Service to switch Trump to the older jet.
- Fox News centers on the Wall Street Journal’s recent comparison report and Kendall’s specific quotes about retrofit timelines, framing the revocation as tied most directly to that piece.
- The Hill emphasizes the political context, tying the revocation to a broader Trump administration crackdown on press freedom, including subpoenas of New York Times reporters and phone seizures from White House officials.
- The Hill and Fox News both note Kendall’s history with the Air Force One program and his post-government role, details CBS News omits.
The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding any sensitive position, accusing him of disclosing classified details about the capabilities of Air Force One to a media outlet. The move, announced Friday evening by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, took effect immediately. Kendall says he has not been told what he allegedly revealed and denies saying anything classified.
What exactly did the Pentagon say Kendall did?
Sean Parnell posted on social media that the Department of War had “revoked” Kendall’s clearance and his ability to hold sensitive positions, citing an “unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet.” Parnell called safeguarding classified information “a non-negotiable duty” and said those who violate that trust “forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.” He did not name the outlet or specify what information was disclosed.
What has Kendall said in response?
Kendall, reached by The Associated Press and The Hill, said he was “completely mystified” by the revocation. He said he has “always been extremely careful” not to disclose anything classified and that, as far as he knows, he has not done so. He said no one has told him what he is supposed to have revealed, and noted he has been openly critical of the Trump administration since leaving office. He added he has felt comfortable speaking on the record and on television about the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 because he was confident he hadn’t crossed into classified territory.
What reporting triggered this?
The action follows weeks of press coverage examining the capabilities of the new presidential aircraft — a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar and put through a $400 million retrofit. The New York Times reported last month that the plane lacked some of the advanced defensive systems of the older Air Force One, including sophisticated antimissile countermeasures. Fox News notes a more recent Wall Street Journal report, published just days before the revocation, that compared the new jet’s capabilities to the older VC-25A aircraft, citing gaps in midair refueling, nuclear-blast hardening, defensive systems, air stairs, baggage handling and food storage. Kendall was quoted in that Journal piece and had also told the Journal earlier in July that fully outfitting a 747 with presidential-level defenses should take three to four years.
Why did Trump switch planes at the NATO summit?
President Trump used the new Qatari-gifted jet for domestic travel and flew it to the NATO summit in Turkey last month, but left the summit aboard an older Air Force One. CBS News reported that U.S. officials said the switch followed a credible threat: intelligence indicated a possible plot by Iran or allied proxies to target the plane with a missile, prompting the Secret Service to shift the president to the older jet, which has secure communications and stronger military defenses. Trump publicly denied the swap was driven by security concerns, though he acknowledged being under threat “all the time” and being Iran’s “No. 1” target. The White House later said the newer plane would get additional upgrades in the fall, a process expected to take about a month.
How does this fit into the broader dispute over the leaks?
The Kendall clearance revocation comes amid a wider Trump administration effort to identify and punish sources behind the Air Force One reporting. The Hill reports the administration subpoenaed New York Times reporters over their coverage and had White House officials turn over phones as part of a leak investigation, describing the episode as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom. CBS News notes the Justice Department responded to the reporting as well, though details of that response were not fully specified in its account.
Who is Frank Kendall?
Kendall served as Secretary of the Air Force from 2021 to 2025 under President Biden and previously held the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics role under the Obama administration. He has decades of national security experience and is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Fox News notes Kendall’s long history with the Air Force One program specifically: in 2015, as the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, he helped decide with then-Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to select the Boeing 747-8 as the platform for the next generation of presidential aircraft.
What remains unresolved?
As of the reporting, the Pentagon has not publicly specified which statement or disclosure by Kendall it considers classified, nor named the media outlet involved. Kendall says he has received no explanation. It is also unclear what recourse, if any, Kendall has to challenge the revocation.
Sources
Featured photo: U.S. Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)