Pentagon revokes Kendall’s clearance

The department alleges a classified Air Force One disclosure but has not identified the statement, the outlet or a criminal referral.

The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information and barred him from sensitive positions, accusing him of an unauthorized disclosure about Air Force One. Kendall said he was “completely mystified” and had not been told what information the government considered classified.

ContextThe dispute follows reporting that the Qatari-donated replacement aircraft lacked some advanced defensive systems. Kendall had said the accelerated conversion left too little time for “all the normal Air Force One modifications” and that he was surprised the plane was used outside the United States. The Pentagon has not identified the allegedly classified statement or the outlet involved, and it did not say whether it referred Kendall for prosecution. The immediate penalty is administrative, not a criminal conviction: it removes Kendall’s eligibility for future classified work or sensitive government and contractor roles. Unless the Pentagon identifies the classified statement, names the outlet or discloses a criminal referral, the clearance revocation will remain the government’s only public action against Kendall.