The US Department of Defense revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's security clearance and barred him from holding any sensitive position on August 7, 2026. The action followed allegations that Kendall disclosed classified information about the capabilities of Air Force One to the media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on X (formerly Twitter) [1, 2].
Parnell said, "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. Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it." [1]
The revocation came after July reports by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal revealed that the new Air Force One, gifted by Qatar and costing $400 million to retrofit, lacks some traditional advanced security and missile defense features found on previous models [3, 4, 5]. The new Boeing 747 has been used domestically and was flown by former President Trump to a NATO summit in Turkey in July 2026. However, Trump switched to the older Air Force One to leave the summit, citing security concerns related to regional conflict [4, 1].
The New York Times first reported on the security shortcomings of this Qatar-donated plane on July 9, 2026 [3, 6]. Subsequently, the US Department of Justice subpoenaed New York Times journalists as part of their investigation but withdrew the subpoenas less than two weeks later following judicial criticism over procedural issues [3, 4, 6].
Kendall, who served as Air Force Secretary under President Joe Biden and held senior Pentagon roles during the Obama administration, expressed confusion about the clearance revocation. He said he was extremely careful to avoid disclosing classified information and that no one had informed him what he was accused of leaking. "I’ve always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not. No one has said anything to me about what I’m asserted to have revealed and I can’t imagine what it could be," he told reporters [3, 1, 5]. He repeated in Mandarin, "我感到困惑。我一直極為謹慎，避免談論任何可能屬於機密的事情，而據我所知，我沒有說過任何機密資訊。到目前為止，還沒有人告訴我，我究竟洩露了什麼。" [3]
Former officials like Kendall often keep their security clearances after leaving government to work in consulting or with defense contractors. Losing clearance could impact his income and job opportunities [3, 6].
The Pentagon's public announcement confirms Kendall is prohibited from any role requiring classified access or handling sensitive positions. The revelation and clearance revocation mark the latest public event in the ongoing investigation into Air Force One’s security features and related leaks.
