Pentagon Probes Why Boeing Staff Worked on Air Force One Planes Without Security Credentials

The Boeing employees’ so-called Yankee White security credentials had in some cases expired months or years ago, people familiar with the matter said, and in at least one case about seven years ago.

The security-credential lapse involves about 250 Boeing employees, people familiar with the matter said. Boeing declined to say how many employees overall work on the Air Force One jets.  

An Air Force spokeswoman said the military branch and plane maker are looking into what she described as a lapse in personnel tracking, and why Boeing didn’t submit for renewal the credentials needed for access. Affected employees have maintained their underlying top secret security clearances, she said. Stricter Yankee White credentials are also required due to presidential security.

“The Air Force is taking the situation very seriously and believes the Boeing Company is making every effort to quickly resolve this issue,” the Air Force spokeswoman said. The military branch and company continue to provide robust security for the presidential jets, she said.

Boeing notified the Pentagon about the security-credential lapse on March 14, according to the Air Force spokeswoman. She said the company learned of the problem while “conducting a records review of their employees.”

A Boeing spokeswoman said the company quickly notified the Air Force after it discovered what it described as an administrative issue. She said Boeing is also taking the situation seriously and is committed to quickly resolving it.

“Boeing treats security of presidential aircraft with the highest priority,” she said.

The matter represents the latest problem for Boeing’s work on the future presidential jets, which are years behind schedule and have racked up costs to taxpayers and company shareholders.

As a result of the security-credential problem, the affected Boeing employees temporarily lost access to restricted areas for the current and future presidential jets, according to the Air Force and Boeing. Operations related to the jets weren’t halted, they said, and the problem hasn’t affected the schedule for the new Air Force One jets.

As of Sunday, most affected employees were again eligible for access to the secured spaces, the Air Force spokeswoman said. 

Boeing workers will be able to regain access to secure areas while their security applications are pending if they are escorted by colleagues with proper credentials, people familiar with the matter said.

Presidential airplanes generally require stricter security protocols and more intensive background checks, according to people familiar with the matter.

The goal is partly to ensure that anyone involved in presidential support doesn’t discredit the commander-in-chief, and helps workers avoid being compromised by foreign adversaries due to any legal, financial or other vulnerabilities, these people said.

Boeing’s work on the future Air Force One has experienced multiple setbacks in recent years, including problems related to security and labor. In late 2021, two empty miniature tequila bottles were found on one of the jets under development. 

The factory contraband was cited that year, along with a handful of security-clearance issues, in an Air Force letter to Boeing saying the government had less confidence in the company’s ability to manage the program’s “extensive security posture,” The Wall Street Journal has reported.

Boeing has cited a dearth of factory workers with security clearances as a reason for delays and increased expenses with the future Air Force One jets, known by their military designation as VC-25Bs. 

After the company booked a $766 million charge related to the program in the third quarter last year, Boeing finance chief

Brian West

flagged workforce issues as an underlying problem.

“The labor stability issues are magnified because of the requirement to get security clearances, and that’s also contributed to schedule shifts,” Mr. West said in an October 2022 call with analysts.

Security credentials can be difficult to obtain. The Defense Department has cited “high Yankee White rejection rates for touch labor” as a factor for Boeing’s manpower limitations with the future Air Force One jets. 

Pentagon officials said Boeing workers with lapsed Yankee White credentials are largely expected to eventually regain them, since they have held them previously.

Boeing has booked nearly $2 billion in losses related to the new Air Force One project since it struck a deal with then-President

Donald Trump

in 2018. The new presidential jets were initially expected to arrive by the end of 2024. The Air Force has said delays in the project could keep the current presidential jets flying through the 2028 election.

Write to Andrew Tangel at [email protected]

The Boeing employees’ so-called Yankee White security credentials had in some cases expired months or years ago, people familiar with the matter said, and in at least one case about seven years ago.

The security-credential lapse involves about 250 Boeing employees, people familiar with the matter said. Boeing declined to say how many employees overall work on the Air Force One jets.  

An Air Force spokeswoman said the military branch and plane maker are looking into what she described as a lapse in personnel tracking, and why Boeing didn’t submit for renewal the credentials needed for access. Affected employees have maintained their underlying top secret security clearances, she said. Stricter Yankee White credentials are also required due to presidential security.

“The Air Force is taking the situation very seriously and believes the Boeing Company is making every effort to quickly resolve this issue,” the Air Force spokeswoman said. The military branch and company continue to provide robust security for the presidential jets, she said.

Boeing notified the Pentagon about the security-credential lapse on March 14, according to the Air Force spokeswoman. She said the company learned of the problem while “conducting a records review of their employees.”

A Boeing spokeswoman said the company quickly notified the Air Force after it discovered what it described as an administrative issue. She said Boeing is also taking the situation seriously and is committed to quickly resolving it.

“Boeing treats security of presidential aircraft with the highest priority,” she said.

The matter represents the latest problem for Boeing’s work on the future presidential jets, which are years behind schedule and have racked up costs to taxpayers and company shareholders.

As a result of the security-credential problem, the affected Boeing employees temporarily lost access to restricted areas for the current and future presidential jets, according to the Air Force and Boeing. Operations related to the jets weren’t halted, they said, and the problem hasn’t affected the schedule for the new Air Force One jets.

As of Sunday, most affected employees were again eligible for access to the secured spaces, the Air Force spokeswoman said. 

Boeing workers will be able to regain access to secure areas while their security applications are pending if they are escorted by colleagues with proper credentials, people familiar with the matter said.

Presidential airplanes generally require stricter security protocols and more intensive background checks, according to people familiar with the matter.

The goal is partly to ensure that anyone involved in presidential support doesn’t discredit the commander-in-chief, and helps workers avoid being compromised by foreign adversaries due to any legal, financial or other vulnerabilities, these people said.

Boeing’s work on the future Air Force One has experienced multiple setbacks in recent years, including problems related to security and labor. In late 2021, two empty miniature tequila bottles were found on one of the jets under development. 

The factory contraband was cited that year, along with a handful of security-clearance issues, in an Air Force letter to Boeing saying the government had less confidence in the company’s ability to manage the program’s “extensive security posture,” The Wall Street Journal has reported.

Boeing has cited a dearth of factory workers with security clearances as a reason for delays and increased expenses with the future Air Force One jets, known by their military designation as VC-25Bs. 

After the company booked a $766 million charge related to the program in the third quarter last year, Boeing finance chief

Brian West

flagged workforce issues as an underlying problem.

“The labor stability issues are magnified because of the requirement to get security clearances, and that’s also contributed to schedule shifts,” Mr. West said in an October 2022 call with analysts.

Security credentials can be difficult to obtain. The Defense Department has cited “high Yankee White rejection rates for touch labor” as a factor for Boeing’s manpower limitations with the future Air Force One jets. 

Pentagon officials said Boeing workers with lapsed Yankee White credentials are largely expected to eventually regain them, since they have held them previously.

Boeing has booked nearly $2 billion in losses related to the new Air Force One project since it struck a deal with then-President

Donald Trump

in 2018. The new presidential jets were initially expected to arrive by the end of 2024. The Air Force has said delays in the project could keep the current presidential jets flying through the 2028 election.

Write to Andrew Tangel at [email protected]