Air Force chief to Trump: Boeing deal ‘complicated’

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James says the deal with Boeing to develop a new Air Force One is “complicated,” pushing back on Donald Trump’s criticisms.

The president-elect on Tuesday blasted Boeing and called for canceling the contract for building the plane because of its costs.

But James says the presidential aircraft is no ordinary plane, highlighting its security features.

{mosads}“Air Force One, although it is a 747 platform, is way, way more than what you would think of as a commercial airliner,” she told Politico on Tuesday. “It really is, in many ways, a flying White House, in terms of the security.

“There’s [electronics] countermeasures built in, communications, very high-level communications, security of all types,” James added. “After all, this is carrying the president of the United States.

“It has to go long distances, it has to survive under difficult circumstances, much more difficult than a normal civilian airliner. So it is a bit more complicated than perhaps meets the eye.”

James also said that although the Air Force oversees the program, the White House dictates aircraft standards.

“There are professional security people who are in the White House who develop requirements for Air Force One,” she said. “They are not political appointees; they are professional security people.

“Those requirements then come to the Air Force and our job is to build the acquisition strategy around it to deliver those requirements. In other words, we didn’t make up all these security factors and communications standards.”

James said the project’s cost could be reduced at the expense of valuable communications and safety standards.

“Yes, if you change the requirements,” she said of shrinking the price tag. “If you have lesser communications requirements, if you have lesser countermeasures, if you have lesser any of these factors.”

Trump on Twitter earlier Tuesday attacked Boeing’s handling of the next Air Force One.

“Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion,” he wrote. “Cancel order!”

Boeing responded, clarifying that its contract with the Air Force is actually worth $170 million.