(Background) VC-25B Bridge, an interim Air Force One presidential aircraft, stands ready on the tarmac on August 04, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. U.S. President Donald Trump is traveling to Los Angeles to attend a fund raising event and onto Las Vegas for a rally on Wednesday. The "bridge" aircraft, a $400 million gift from Qatar, is a modified Boeing 747-8 that bridges the gap until fully customized long-term replacement Air Foce One planes are completed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) / (L) former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall (via: U.S. Air Force)
(Background) VC-25B Bridge, an interim Air Force One presidential aircraft, stands ready on the tarmac on August 04, 2026, in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) / (L) former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall (via: U.S. Air Force)

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:58 AM – Saturday, August 8, 2026

The Pentagon has announced that it revoked the eligibility to access classified information for former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall due to the alleged unauthorized disclosure of Air Force One's capabilities to a news outlet.

On Friday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on X, "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."

"This action follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One's capabilities to a media outlet," he continued. "Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."

Parnell did not provide details, including identifying the information disclosed or the media outlet.

However, the move comes one day after The Wall Street Journal published a report comparing the capabilities of the two presidential aircraft that fly under the Air Force One call-sign: An older American jet and the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8. Kendall was named as an official quoted in the report.

Kendall also reportedly discussed the aircraft in other reports in recent months, telling The Wall Street Journal in July that retrofitting a 747 with the required defensive abilities for the president could take three or four years.

 

He told the Associated Press that he was "completely mystified" by the revocation, denying the accusation.

"I've always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not," he said. "No one has said anything to me about what I'm asserted to have revealed and I can't imagine what it could be."

Kendall, an Army veteran, served as the 26th secretary of the U.S. Air Force from July 2021 to January 2025 throughout the administration of former President Joe Biden.

 

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