Yes
I do.
No
I don’t.
President Donald Trump’s presidential aircraft has become the center of a renewed national-security debate after questions were raised about the Boeing 747 originally provided to the United States by Qatar.
The aircraft has already been modified for presidential use, but its security capabilities have faced scrutiny because presidential aircraft require considerably more than the features found aboard an ordinary passenger jet.
The issue received additional attention following Trump’s July trip to Turkey. Reuters subsequently reported that a credible missile threat resulted in the president being secretly transferred to another aircraft. Trump had traveled to Turkey aboard the Qatar-provided plane before making the switch.
The president later said the newer aircraft would receive additional work to have its capabilities “maxed out.” The White House said in July that Trump would temporarily use the older presidential aircraft while the newer plane received additional upgrades.
Now the issue is attracting attention again as Trump prepares to continue using the Qatar-provided aircraft for presidential travel.
Supporters may argue that decisions involving presidential transportation are made with extensive input from the Secret Service, military, White House officials, and other security professionals. If those responsible for protecting the president determine that an aircraft is sufficiently secure, they may see little reason for the public to second-guess classified security assessments.
Critics can make a different argument. The president of the United States faces extraordinary security threats, and Air Force One has traditionally incorporated sophisticated communications, defensive, and security systems. They argue that even unanswered questions about an aircraft’s capabilities deserve serious scrutiny before it is regularly used by the commander in chief.
Many details surrounding presidential aircraft security are understandably not made public, which means Americans do not have access to all the information officials use when making these decisions.
The question, therefore, is ultimately about confidence in those security precautions.