Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president. He said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president and said, “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet.”
CBS News military consultant and Retired U.S. Army Colonel, Jeff McCausland, tells WCCO's Adam and Jordana says in addition to being a security risk, the costs associated with making it safe for the President of the United States to use could be exorbitant.
"If you're going to take this airplane and transform it into being Air Force One, the first thing you've got to do is you've got to take the whole thing apart looking for that one single tiny bug which could compromise the aircraft because of the sensitive nature of communications that occurs on Air Force One," explains McCausland. "Number two, you've got to take it apart because you've got to change the aircraft significantly. Why? Air Force One is the only passenger aircraft I know on the planet be air-to-air refueled. So you've got to figure out a way to put that in there."
He also says the defensive mechanisms to defend Air Force One, no commercial airliner including this one has, meaning a lot of work needs to happen.
"You're going to probably spend, I've seen estimates, I don't think anybody knows for sure, but I've seen estimates it might cost you a billion dollars to make sure there are no bugs and to retrofit the aircraft for all those additional requirements," McCausland said. "And how long is that going to take? My guess is Mr. Trump will never fly on this as President of the United States because it'll be long beyond the end of his current term before this aircraft could be readied for that purpose."
Trump has defended the gift, which came up during his recent Middle East trip, as a way to save tax dollars.
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” Trump posted on his social media site during the trip.
Others, however, have raised concerns about the aircraft being a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. They also have noted the need to retrofit the plane to meet security requirements, which would be costly and take time.
Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was meeting in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said.
The Republican president has presented no national security imperative for a swift upgrade rather than waiting for Boeing to finish new Air Force One jets that have been in the works for years.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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