President Trump was moved out of Turkey as part of an elaborate security operation after American officials assessed a credible threat against Iranian forces and proxies, according to a new report. The operation involved using a catering van to discreetly transport Trump away from the airport to a smaller US military aircraft and Air Force One as a decoy.
The evidence is now revealing Trump's departure from Ankara after the NATO summit in Turkey last month. Trump had publicly left on the older Air Force One, and journalists and other staff believed the president was on the plane. But The Washington Post reported that Trump was secretly moved into a C-32A military aircraft as part of a security cover up.
The unusual operation apparently followed intelligence that a credible threat was coming against Trump and the aircraft that takes him there. It had already been reported that U.S. security officials were worried about Iranian proxy groups during the NATO summit. CBS News had also reported yesterday that officials had assessed a credible threat involving the president and Air Force One.
Trump had traveled to Ankara on a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar as a presidential aircraft, which was undergoing rapid modifications for use. But the aircraft had none of the defensive abilities as the older Air Force One aircraft that had been used for presidential travel. This difference was a deciding factor in the decision to alter Trump's transportation.
According to the new report, Trump was publicly seen boarding the older Air Force One, and the implication was that he would leave Turkey on that aircraft. He was then directed via a truck at the airport to the waiting C-32A. The maneuver was to hide his real movement and make it more difficult for anyone who monitored the airport to determine which aircraft was carrying the president.
The larger aircraft continued to Britain as part of the deception. Trump traveled separately on the smaller military jet and then joined in the presidential travel in the United Kingdom.
This incident emphasizes the security challenges in protecting a sitting US president when travelling in the world -- particularly at times of high geopolitical tension in the world. The United States and Iran have been involved in spiraling tensions and presidential movements are a significant security concern.
According to earlier reports, Trump had said he was talking about an assassination attempt at the NATO summit. But the officials presented the threat differently in what they were saying publicly. CNN reported in July that security concerns influenced Trump traveling on the older aircraft and officials said there was not necessarily a new, specific threat to his life at that moment.
This new information adds further context to what had seemed at first to be a puzzling aircraft switch. Trump had previously described his decision to use the older Air Force One as being partly for “old time’s sake,” but it was said the change was because of Iran’s security concerns.
The incident also raises questions about the security readiness of the newly donated aircraft. Whereas the Boeing 747-8 had contemporary facilities and was being prepared for presidential use, its defensive systems were reported to be different from the existing Air Force One fleet.
For presidential security officials, the priority was evidently to reduce the risk associated with predictable travel arrangements. By using a decoy aircraft and concealing Trump’s actual transportation, officials were able to add an additional layer of uncertainty to his movements.
The operation shows how presidential travel can involve elaborate precautions that are opaque to the general public until officials or the media reveal them. It also demonstrates how geopolitical tensions can affect even the most mundane aspects of international diplomacy and travel.
The incident has become one of the most unusual examples of presidential security measures in recent years as details of the operation emerge. U.S. authorities’ response to the threat and the extraordinary measures taken to protect the president during a time of high tensions with Iran show that Turkey’s secret transfer from Turkey is an example of gravity.
