President Donald Trump plans to travel to Ireland next week aboard the $400 million Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, even as questions persist about whether the aircraft has received all of the security and defensive upgrades normally associated with a presidential plane, according to a senior White House official.
The Sept. 12-13 visit will be Trump’s first international trip aboard the Qatar-donated aircraft since an unusual security episode following July’s NATO summit in Turkey. U.S. officials secretly transferred Trump to a different aircraft for his departure after intelligence officials identified a potential threat from Iran.
“We don’t comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One,” a senior administration official told The Independent. “We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture.”
Trump said in July that the $400 million aircraft would eventually be temporarily removed from service and “maxed out” with additional security enhancements.
The White House previously indicated that the next round of work on the aircraft would begin this fall and require approximately one month. Officials have yet to disclose when those modifications will begin, however, and The Washington Post reported that the work could be postponed until after the November midterm elections.
The Ireland visit will therefore represent Trump’s first overseas journey on the aircraft since the security concerns that arose during his July trip to Turkey and resulted in his discreet transfer to another plane.
The Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 was rapidly prepared for presidential use earlier this summer as an interim replacement for the aging aircraft that have traditionally served as Air Force One. Qatar transferred the jet to the Defense Department as Boeing continues work on two long-delayed new presidential aircraft.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent modifying the plane, including improvements to its communications and security systems. Security specialists have nevertheless questioned whether the aircraft possesses the full range of sophisticated defensive capabilities found aboard the existing presidential planes, which include systems designed to protect against threats such as missile attacks. Reports indicated that some of those countermeasures were absent from the Qatari aircraft when Trump began flying aboard it.
The two permanent replacement Air Force One aircraft being developed by Boeing have been plagued by years of delays and escalating expenses. The Government Accountability Office has estimated that the program will ultimately cost more than $5.6 billion. The Air Force maintains that the Qatar-donated aircraft satisfies the requirements for presidential transportation, and the White House has repeatedly defended its security.
Trump’s upcoming visit will take him to Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13, where he is expected to attend the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf resort and hold meetings with government officials in Dublin.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the aircraft in July, telling The Independent: “The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”
He added: “As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal – including distraction and misdirection – to address those threats.”
Controversy has continued to surround the aircraft in part because it was originally configured as an opulent jet for Qatar’s royal family rather than built from the outset as a highly fortified plane intended to transport an American president.
The aircraft was nevertheless placed into presidential service this summer as a stopgap while the United States awaits the completion of the next generation of Air Force One planes.
The Trump administration has said that once the aircraft is no longer needed for presidential transportation, it will ultimately be transferred to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves the White House in January 2029.
During the Ireland trip, Trump is expected to meet in Dublin with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin. His itinerary is also expected to include a stop at his Doonbeg golf resort for the Irish Open.
If the additional modifications continue to be delayed, Trump could make greater use of the Qatar-donated aircraft as his travel schedule intensifies ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. He is scheduled to headline the Republican Party’s convention in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10 and has said he intends to travel to Alaska and other states featuring closely contested races.
{Matzav.com}
