Overview
- Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced Friday that the Department of War revoked Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding any sensitive position.
- The Pentagon said the action followed an unauthorized disclosure to a media outlet about Air Force One’s capabilities but did not name the outlet or say whether Kendall will face criminal charges.
- Kendall had publicly questioned whether the Qatari‑gifted, recently retrofitted plane received the same advanced antimissile and communications modifications as prior Air Force One aircraft.
- Reporting on those security concerns prompted an aggressive leak probe that included DOJ subpoenas for New York Times reporters and requests for White House phones that a judge later criticized and that were partly withdrawn.
- Defense leaders have tightened media access and created a joint task force with the Justice Department to pursue leakers, a posture that raises press‑freedom concerns and could deter future disclosures.