The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's access to classified information on Friday, accusing him of disclosing sensitive details about Air Force One's capabilities to the press, a move that escalates the Trump administration's crackdown on unauthorized leaks.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the revocation on X, declaring that the Department of War had stripped Kendall of his eligibility to access classified material and barred him from holding any sensitive position, effective immediately. Parnell said the action followed Kendall's "unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One's capabilities to a media outlet."

Kendall, who served as Secretary of the Air Force from July 2021 through January 2025 under President Biden, did not immediately respond to the New York Post's request for comment. But in a statement reported by the Associated Press, Kendall denied wrongdoing.

"I've always been extremely careful to not say anything classified, and as far as I know I have not."

The Pentagon offered no such benefit of the doubt.

Kendall publicly questioned the Qatari jet's readiness for months

The revocation centers on a controversy that has simmered for weeks: whether a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted to President Trump by Qatar was fit to serve as Air Force One. The New York Times reported that the jet was swapped out ahead of Trump's return from the NATO summit in Turkey over what the outlet called a "security precaution." Lawmakers subsequently questioned whether an advanced missile defense system and other modifications had been installed on the aircraft.

Kendall did not stay quiet. He told CNN that the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 would take three to four years of modifications to meet the same standards as the previous Air Force One fleet. He also told NPR that a one-month refit period was insufficient for any significant hardware modifications to the aircraft, a direct challenge to the administration's assurances that the plane was secure and fully capable.

The Pentagon's accusation does not specify which media outlet received the alleged classified disclosure. But Fox News reported that the action appeared connected to Kendall's participation in Wall Street Journal reports detailing capability differences between the Qatar-donated jet and the older Air Force One aircraft. Those reports revealed, among other things, that the donated plane lacks midair refueling capability and nuclear blast hardening, features built into the traditional presidential fleet.

Trump later acknowledged the aircraft wasn't fully upgraded, announcing it would be taken out of commission to be "maxed out," as Breitbart reported.

Parnell's warning: 'Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege'

Parnell's statement left no ambiguity about the administration's posture. He framed the revocation as a matter of duty, not politics.

"Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."

The question of what Kendall disclosed, and whether it crossed the line from informed public commentary into classified territory, remains unresolved. Kendall insists he was careful. The Pentagon says he wasn't. No criminal charges have been announced, and the revocation itself is an administrative action, not a prosecution. But the door to prosecution has not been closed.

The administration has made clear it views leaks about presidential security as a serious threat. The DOJ and Pentagon recently launched a joint task force specifically targeting unauthorized media disclosures, an initiative War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced days after the Trump administration subpoenaed several New York Times journalists over the Air Force One reporting.

A broader pattern of accountability, and a broader fight over leaks

Kendall's revocation does not exist in isolation. The Associated Press noted that the Trump administration has revoked security clearances from 37 former national security officials and retired General Mark Milley, among others. The administration has treated post-service access to classified material as a privilege that can be pulled when trust is broken.

The subpoenas issued to four New York Times reporters represent another front in the same campaign. The grand jury leak probe targeting those journalists signals that the administration is willing to use legal tools, not just administrative ones, to trace the flow of classified information from government insiders to newsrooms.

Kendall served in one of the most sensitive positions in the national security apparatus. As Air Force Secretary, he oversaw the branch responsible for the presidential aircraft fleet itself. That background gave him deep knowledge of Air Force One's specifications, knowledge the Pentagon now says he shared without authorization.

The leak concern extends beyond the Pentagon. Secret Service agents guarding the Vance family have faced separate accusations of leaking private details to left-leaning media outlets, part of a pattern that has fueled the administration's determination to root out unauthorized disclosures across the security establishment.

For Kendall, the immediate consequence is clear: a former cabinet-level official who once held some of the government's most closely guarded secrets can no longer access any of them. Whether the Justice Department pursues criminal charges remains an open question. So does the deeper issue of what, precisely, Kendall said that the Pentagon considers classified, and whether his public remarks about the Qatari jet's readiness crossed a line that his defenders say doesn't exist.

Kendall's silence speaks to the stakes

Kendall's refusal to respond to the New York Post's inquiry, paired with his denial to the AP, suggests a man who understands the legal ground has shifted beneath him. A former Air Force Secretary does not go quiet without reason. The joint task force Hegseth announced exists for exactly this kind of case: a senior official, a media outlet, and classified details about the commander-in-chief's aircraft in the public record.

The administration has drawn a line. Officials who held sensitive positions under prior administrations and then shared what they knew with reporters will face consequences, starting with their clearances, and potentially extending to a courtroom. The party-line confirmation of Jay Clayton as intelligence director earlier this year underscored the administration's resolve to install leaders who share its priorities on security and accountability.

When a former cabinet official uses his expertise to publicly undermine confidence in the president's aircraft, and the Pentagon responds by pulling his clearance the same week it launches a leak-hunting task force, the message is not subtle. Classified information about the systems protecting the president is not fodder for cable news hits, no matter how many cameras are rolling.