Latest news with #Qatar-gifted
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon accepts Qatari jet for Air Force One
The Pentagon announced Wednesday it has accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar, a week after the Gulf state was reported to be providing the plane as a gift to President Donald Trump for use as Air Force One. 'The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations. The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States,' Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a statement Wednesday. The Air Force said it is also preparing to award a contract to convert the Boeing 747-8 into a presidential transport plane, though details on that deal are classified and would not be released. Experts: Qatar-gifted Air Force One may be security, upgrade disaster Many Democrats in Congress — and some Republican media figures — have questioned whether such a gift is legal, or even practical, given the extensive overhaul necessary to ensure the plane complies with security protocols and military standards. When asked about the gift at an event from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump grew visibly angry and repeatedly attacked the reporter who posed the question. 'They're giving the United States Air Force a jet, and it's a great thing,' Trump said. Article I of the Constitution specifically bans U.S. government officials from accepting titles or gifts from foreign monarchs without the approval of Congress. Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services subcommittee that oversees Air Force One, has critiqued the gift, filing an amendment during a marathon session of Congress this week that would ban any funds from helping to renovate the airplane for military use. Some lawmakers and aviation experts have also expressed concern about the complexity and potential security ramifications of modifying a foreign-gifted Boeing 747-8 into an aircraft that must essentially be a flying White House situation room. Air Force One aircraft are typically upgraded with secure communications systems, military-grade power systems and classified self-defense systems in case an adversary tries to attack the president. They also have medical facilities that would allow doctors to treat an injured or sick president while in flight. If a nuclear war or other catastrophic emergency erupts, the president must be able to direct U.S. forces and other assets securely from the plane. Boeing is now converting another pair of 747-8s into Air Force One planes under the VC-25B program. But that effort has been in the works for the better part of a decade and is far behind schedule, due to challenges such as supply chain issues and difficulties finding enough workers with the requisite security clearance to work on the planes. The new Air Force One aircraft were originally due to be delivered in 2024 but are now not expected until 2029. The Air Force said earlier this month it is considering changes to the requirements for the jets that would allow it to shave about two years off the schedule. But critics of the Qatari 747 plan say it's unrealistic to expect this jet to be ready for Trump's use by the end of the year, without taking shortcuts that could compromise the plane's readiness and security. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Tuesday that transforming any civilian aircraft, including this one, into an Air Force One would require 'significant modifications.' Meink said the Air Force is now studying what work will need to be done on the Qatari 747. Meink also told Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., that he would not allow security standards for the plane to slip, and would warn Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if the Air Force is unable to address any threats while modifying the plane. From the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump himself mentioned the undelivered Air Force One jets, gesturing to a model of one on a nearby table. 'Boeing's a little bit late, unfortunately,' Trump said. 'I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you,' South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was meeting with the president, said to laughter.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meink vows security as Qatar-gifted jet turned into Air Force One
Making a Qatar-gifted Boeing 747 secure enough to serve as a presidential aircraft will require 'significant modifications,' Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Tuesday. Meink said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the Air Force is now looking at what it will take to adapt the 747 aircraft, which the Qatar royal family is offering to the Trump administration, into an Air Force One presidential plane. Meink also pledged to Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., not to allow security standards for the plane to slip, and to warn President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if the service is unable to address any threats as it modifies the plane. Duckworth and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, expressed deep concerns in the hearing about the deal, highlighting the security, ethical and cost concerns it raises. Duckworth called Trump's defense of the jet's gift 'bizarre and disturbing,' and said it creates 'at the very least, the pathetic appearance that our commander-in-chief can be bought by an ally of Iran and Hamas.' 'Far from saving money, this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over a billion dollars to overhaul this particular aircraft, when we currently have not one, but two, fully operational and fully capable Air Force One aircraft,' Duckworth said. Trump is dissatisfied with Boeing's delays in the VC-25B program to build a pair of new Air Force Ones, which were originally due for delivery last year but now may not be ready until 2029. The Trump administration plans to accept the donation of a luxurious 747-8 and have the Air Force convert it into a new presidential transport aircraft, potentially by the end of this year. ABC News reported earlier this month that the plane would be donated to Trump's presidential library shortly before the end of his second term. But some lawmakers and aviation experts, including former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, have decried those plans. Critics say the deal would violate the Constitution's emoluments clause and amount to a corrupt deal benefiting Trump. The Qatar 747 plans have also been criticized as a waste of money and a potential security risk, as an Air Force One jet also needs to be a hardened, secure flying situation room capable of operating during a major catastrophe. In a Monday morning briefing, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt forcefully rejected criticisms of the Qatar 747 gift and denied it was a personal donation or gift to Trump. She referred questions about the timeline of retrofitting the 747 to the Air Force. 'Because it is the United States Air Force that is accepting the plane, I would defer you to them to specifics, because the President, frankly, has nothing to do with it,' Leavitt said. 'It's the Air Force's project to take on.' The Air Force said in an email to Defense News that it currently had no information about the status and timeline of modifying the Qatar 747 to provide. Duckworth, Hirono and seven other Democratic senators last week urged the Defense Department's acting inspector general to open an inquiry into the aircraft, citing the cost and time it may take to retrofit it into a presidential aircraft and meet the necessary security and counterintelligence standards. Duckworth said she also sent a letter to Meink about the operational security risks associated with the plane, and noted an Air Force One aircraft must be able to allow the president to command and control U.S. forces from midair during a catastrophic crisis, such as a nuclear war. 'This isn't just about ensuring presidential protection, though that is very important,' Duckworth said. 'This is about our national security and protecting all Americans from the dangers posed if the president's sensitive communications are intercepted, or be out of contact, God forbid, with our nation's military during a crisis.' Duckworth initially appeared unsatisfied with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin's and Meink's responses to her questions about whether the work modifying a foreign-sourced aircraft into a presidential jet would be significant. Meink initially said the service had been ordered to modify the aircraft and it was postured to do so, which raised Duckworth's ire. 'That's not my question,' Duckworth said. Meink then expanded his answer and acknowledged the Air Force would look at all the issues Duckworth raised with the modifications. Meink said any civilian aircraft being converted into a presidential transport aircraft would require significant upgrades. Duckworth said she is concerned that pressure to get the Qatar 747 into service in time for Trump to use by the end of his administration may lead to operational security corners being cut. And she urged the Air Force not to let the 'distraction' of the Qatar 747 hold up work on the two other 747s Boeing is now converting to Air Force One aircraft under the VC-25B program.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dems demand military investigation into Qatar's plane gift to Trump
Senate Democrats want a Defense Department watchdog to weigh in on President Donald Trump's plans to accept a $400 million luxury plane from the Qatari government to use as Air Force One, a move they believe creates numerous security and ethical issues. In a letter to the department's Inspector General's office, ten senior chamber lawmakers — including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — voiced concerns not only over Trump's acceptance of an unusual gift from a foreign country, but also the military's potential involvement in the action. 'Public reports raise the troubling prospect that the Administration involved the Defense Department to launder this impermissible gift, so that the Department could provide cover to give the transfer of the plane the appearance of an official gift [and] place the onus on DOD to retrofit the plane at considerable cost to U.S. taxpayers,' the group wrote. 'DOD risks becoming embroiled in a brazen attempt to evade constitutional limitations on the acceptance of personal gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.' Experts: Qatar-gifted Air Force One may be security, upgrade disaster Trump and White House officials are prepared to accept a modified 747-8 from Qatar's royal family — worth roughly $400 million— to be used as the American presidential plane for the rest of Trump's presidency. Under the plan, the Air Force would take possession of the 13-year-old plane and modify it to be suitable for presidential use, then transfer the aircraft to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation after he leaves the White House. Trump on Monday said refusing the offer from the Qatari royal family would be foolish. 'I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,' he told reporters. 'I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'' But Democratic critics charge that the gift runs afoul of numerous federal rules regarding foreign contributions and potential bribes. Several Republican lawmakers also expressed concerns over the arrangement. 'I think it will attract very serious questions, if and when it happens,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday. 'I can assure you there will be plenty of scrutiny of whatever that arrangement might look like.' In their letter, the Democrats ask for specifics on the cost of retrofitting the aircraft for presidential use, the timeline for that work and 'the counterintelligence and security risks of incorporating this aircraft, provided by a foreign government, into the Air Force One fleet.' They also asked for clarification on the legality of the move, 'which would constitute one of the largest foreign gifts ever accepted by a president or the U.S. government.' Justice Department officials appointed by Trump have already said they believe the gift is allowed under their reading of the law. Signers of the letter included Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee ranking member Chris Coons, D-Del.; and four other members of the chamber's armed services committee. Plans to add new aircraft to the Air Force One fleet are already underway, but those planes may not be ready until 2027 or later. The Inspector General's office did not immediately say if they will open an investigation in response to the Democratic lawmakers' letter.
