Staff Reports
Boeing’s attempt to deliver a shiny new Air Force One, or VC-25B to those who prefer technical jargon, appears to be experiencing delays worthy of a soap opera episode. Initially scheduled for a grand unveiling in December 2024, the timeline has now slumped into the depths of 2027, 2028, or even 2029 – depending on who you ask at the White House. If patience is a virtue, then it seems the current administration is testing the limits of virtue itself.
The delay is being chalked up to supply chain issues, which has become the go-to explanation for just about everything in recent years. Apparently, some manufacturers that provide essential components for the presidential jet took the liberty of closing their doors, much like businesses during the pandemic. It’s a familiar woe that evokes both sympathy and eye-rolls as taxpayers wonder how something as critical as Air Force One can be snagged in such predictable turmoil.
Former President Donald Trump, who had his own ideas on how to expedite the program, must be watching the news with a bemused expression. With a track record of wanting things done yesterday – including negotiations and even infrastructure – it seems outrageous that a project so crucial to national pride and security is caught in red tape. While one would logically assume that even a 2,000-page logistical manual might not include “wait up to five years due to business failures,” the current administration’s approach to efficiency has repeatedly proven to be anything but swift.
Air Force One program at Boeing may be delayed until 2029 due to supply chain issues https://t.co/ifSUBxiHg9
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) February 18, 2025
In an effort to speed things up, Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg is planning to confer with Elon Musk, the czar of innovation and efficiency in the tech world. The hope is that Musk can sprinkle some of his magic dust on the project and navigate the murky waters of government procurement faster than a kid at a candy store. The partnership with Musk hints at the delightful irony of two titans from entirely different sectors working to solve bureaucratic woes—if only all government matters could be managed with such entrepreneurial zest.
Taxpayers will undoubtedly be watching closely, perhaps even placing bets on whether 2029 will be the year the new Boeing airliner takes to the skies. The stakes are high and the delay is a slap in the face to those who expected prompt action in critical areas of national security. While the pot of bureaucracy simmers away, the attempts at modernization continue to provide a backdrop for a ridiculous, albeit serious, cautionary tale. The only thing anyone can be sure of now is that the next Air Force One is now less a symbol of American ingenuity and more an illustration of how convoluted can lead to comically unacceptable.
