A former Air Force official has weighed in on the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s new jet from his Qatari pals.
Frank Kendall, the Air Force secretary during the Biden administration, said he was stunned to see the 80-year-old president use a new aircraft gifted by Qatar when he flew to Turkey for the NATO summit.
Trump used the Qatari jet to attend the high-level summit in Ankara but opted for the old Air Force One on his trip back home to the U.S., triggering questions about safety as speculation mounted that the new plane lacks the defensive capabilities of the current VC-25 presidential aircraft.
“Time didn’t permit all the normal Air Force One modifications, so some mix of security, communications, and support is missing,” Kendall told The New York Times.
“With the Iran situation, this could be of concern,” he added. “Frankly, I’m surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.”
Kendall was in charge of the Air Force when it tried to push Boeing to fast-track the long-delayed delivery of two new presidential jets. Under the Obama administration, he also oversaw the Pentagon’s procurement, research, engineering, and supply chain operations.
Andrew Hunter, the former Air Force official in charge of the Air Force One program during the Biden administration, also told The Times that retrofitting a Boeing 747 to become a presidential aircraft would take more than a year of work.
White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that the new Air Force One is secure.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” he said. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
Reporting by MS NOW revealed, however, that Trump decided to swap out the new Air Force One on his trip back home due to security concerns. Two national security insiders told the outlet that there were concerns the Qatari jet lacks the secure communication systems and military defenses amid tensions with Iran.
Trump appeared to be concerned for his safety, repeatedly telling reporters at the NATO summit that he was “number one on the kill list for Iran,” without disclosing further information.
“Everything’s gone, their leaders are gone. They had leaders, they’re gone, and they had another set of leaders, they’re gone, now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone, who knows?” he said.
“I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target, it’s out all over the place,” he went on. “I’m their number one, because they’re scum, that’s the way they act, and that’s the way they’ve done it for 47 years. But I’m doing what’s right for the country, I’m doing really what’s right for the world.”
