True to form and out of protocol, President-elect Donald Trump has called for the cancellation of the order for new Air Force One Boeing Jets via Twitter. He called the $4 billion price tag "out of control" and accused the Seattle-based company of "doing a number" on the United States.
According to Boeing, the contract for Air Force One covers two jets--inclusive of study, redesign and testing covering a period of five years. It also includes the installation of special features specific to the President's needs and those of his entourage, considering the demanding safety features the government requires.
Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016
In an interview with Wired Magazine, Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the projected price is "reasonable... given the extraordinary capabilities that they want in this aircraft." Cancian had previously overseen Department of Defense acquisitions at the White House Office of Management and Budget.
In an analysis by The Washington Post, for Air Force One, requirements include electrical, communication and power supply in multiple redundancies, along with amenities like dining rooms, galleys, sleeping quarters and an onboard medical facility, plus enough room to store food and other supplies, and the capability for in-flight refueling. Compared to the standard 747-8 Boeing Jet that costs as mere $357 million each, these features can easily jack-up the price.
The current planes servicing the White House were produced in 1990 and are set to retire in 2017. The new ones in Trump's outburst are set to be deployed in 2024. In the meantime, if Trump is bent on not using the existing Air Force One, he can insist on using his own Boeing 757, provided that he can convince the Secret Service to agree. In the meantime, protocols for this kind of order do not include an outburst on Twitter but a paper trail that needs to be drawn and processed in the White House.
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