Dramatic measures against official who warned of Air Force One safety flaws

The Pentagon announced on Saturday the revocation of security clearance from Frank Kendall, who served as Secretary of the Air Force in the previous administration, and barred him from holding sensitive positions. The background to the decision is a journalistic report claiming that the new "Air Force One" aircraft—which was received as a gift from Qatar and underwent expensive upgrades—lacks advanced anti-missile defense systems compared to the older presidential planes.

According to reports, questions about the aircraft's level of protection arose after President Donald Trump used it for certain flights, but preferred to switch to an older plane for other trips due to security concerns.

In the original article, Kendall was quoted as expressing surprise that the new aircraft added to the fleet was operated for international flights before it had completed all standard security upgrade processes. In response to the leak, the Pentagon decided to punish him severely and revoke his security clearances, claiming he breached trust and provided sensitive information to external parties.

This affair joins a broader struggle recently waged by the Department of Justice against journalists who tried to expose their sources of information, and reflects the very rigid line that the Donald Trump administration is taking against leaks and former senior officials who publicly criticize the conduct of the security establishment.