Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Friday he has no idea what specific statement led the Department of War to revoke his security clearance, calling the decision baffling given his careful approach to discussing classified matters publicly. “I’ve been comfortable being on the record with reporters and on national television about the Qatari 747 because I’m confident that I haven’t said anything classified,” Kendall told the Associated Press, in a story bylined by Jesse Bedayn and Konstantin Toropin. He said he was “completely mystified” by the revocation.
Kendall’s Full Response
Kendall was direct about the lack of explanation he says he received. “I’ve always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not,” he told the AP. “No one has said anything to me about what I’m asserted to have revealed and I can’t imagine what it could be.” That account stands in contrast to the Pentagon’s own announcement, which asserted an “unauthorized disclosure” occurred but did not specify what information was involved or which outlet received it.
What the Pentagon Actually Announced
The Department of War’s action came via a statement from Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, posted on his official account and mirrored on the department’s Facebook page. “Effective immediately, the Department of War has REVOKED former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information and his ability to hold any sensitive position,” Parnell wrote. “This action follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet.”
The On-the-Record Comments Kendall Points To
Kendall’s defense rests on the fact that his public statements about the aircraft were made openly, not leaked anonymously. In a CNN report published July 10, Kendall discussed the Qatari-gifted jet’s communications capabilities by name and on camera. “You have to basically do structural changes to put the antennas in,” he said, addressing whether the aircraft had the equipment needed to secure its communications. “Some of that, I’m sure they did.” He described a fully equipped Air Force One as a “flying White House” spanning communications, medical care, and security, and estimated the Qatari jet would have needed three to four years of modifications to match the older Boeing 747s used previously. “I think in all three of those areas: the life support, the commander in chief support, the comms, and the security side, they probably did less by a substantial amount than a full-up Air Force One,” Kendall told CNN.
Why That Distinction Matters
Kendall’s point — that his comments were made on the record, to named outlets, under his own name — is significant because it differs from the classic profile of an unauthorized classified disclosure, which typically involves anonymous sourcing specifically to avoid attribution. By publicly identifying himself as the source of his own assessments, Kendall’s position is that there was no concealment involved in anything he said, which he argues makes it harder to understand what “unauthorized disclosure” would even mean in this context.
His Background With the Program He’s Now Criticizing
Kendall’s comments carry particular weight given his direct institutional history with the Air Force One program. As Air Force secretary during the Biden administration, he oversaw the service’s push to get Boeing to accelerate delivery of two new, purpose-built presidential aircraft — the program the Qatari jet was brought in to supplement while that delivery remained delayed. He also previously ran the Pentagon’s procurement, research, engineering, and supply chain operations during the Obama administration, giving him decades of firsthand experience with exactly the kind of aircraft modification questions he was publicly discussing.
The Air Force’s Own Partial Confirmation
Notably, some of what Kendall described publicly has since been acknowledged, in general terms, by the Air Force itself. According to the AP’s reporting, the service confirmed that “several highly complex engineering modifications” required for the newer, U.S.-built Air Force One aircraft were intentionally excluded from the Qatari jet’s retrofit — including not widening the aircraft’s exit doors or installing the multiple built-in stairways found on the older jets. The Air Force maintained the rapid conversion was completed “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but did not dispute that real capability differences exist.
The Broader Government Response to the Coverage
Kendall’s case unfolds against a backdrop of aggressive government action targeting the underlying reporting itself. According to the AP, the Justice Department subpoenaed New York Times reporters who covered the aircraft’s security shortcomings, in what the AP described as an effort to compel them to identify their sources — a move that “stirred fears over press freedoms.” The department withdrew those subpoenas the following month after a judge criticized the government’s legal work as sloppy, according to the same AP report.
What Happens Next for Kendall Specifically
The revocation strips Kendall of his ability to access classified information and bars him from holding any position requiring a security clearance going forward, though it does not itself constitute a criminal charge. Kendall’s statement to the AP did not indicate whether he intends to formally challenge or appeal the revocation, and he said as of Friday evening he had received no further communication from the department clarifying its basis.
The Incident That Drew Broader Attention
Kendall’s public commentary came against the backdrop of a specific, high-visibility episode involving the aircraft. According to the AP, Trump used an older-model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey in July, rather than the newer Qatari-gifted plane he had flown in on — a decision that came as the U.S. launched strikes on Iran during the same period, and one that fueled the broader public interest in the capability questions Kendall was separately being asked to address on the record.
The Timing Relative to His Public Comments
The revocation was announced roughly a month after Kendall’s most detailed public remarks to CNN, and followed additional comments he made to NPR in the same period, in which he separately questioned whether meaningful modifications could have been completed during the aircraft’s brief retrofit window. The gap between his public statements and the Pentagon’s action means Kendall had been discussing the aircraft openly, without any indication of government objection, for weeks before Friday’s announcement.
Where This Leaves Things
As of Friday evening, the core factual dispute remained unresolved: the Pentagon maintains an unauthorized disclosure occurred, while Kendall says he was never told what statement supposedly crossed that line and maintains he said nothing classified in any of his public comments. Absent further explanation from the Department of War, the specific basis for the revocation remains known only to the government, leaving Kendall — by his own account — unable to meaningfully respond to an accusation he says he does not understand.