Retired Air Force officer warns against publicizing presidential travel deception tactics
Former presidential aide Robert “Buzz” Patterson said the decoy operations used to protect presidents, including the recent Air Force One switch in Turkey, are standard security measures and should remain classified.
A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who once carried the nuclear "football" for President Bill Clinton told Fox News Digital that the aircraft decoy maneuver used to shield President Donald Trump during his departure from Ankara, Turkey, is a long-standing security practice. Patterson, who served as Clinton’s senior military aide for two years, said the operation involved moving Trump from the familiar presidential 747 to a smaller C-32A via a catering truck, while the older 747 departed as a decoy toward the United Kingdom.
"It was brilliant. I wish I had been a part of it," Patterson said, adding that similar tactics were employed during Clinton’s 1997 Bosnia visit and other past presidential trips to high-risk regions.
He warned that leaking details of such operations could jeopardize the safety of presidents, military personnel, and the press corps, calling any disclosure "incredibly dangerous" and urging a full investigation of the source. Patterson emphasized that only a limited number of individuals are privy to the full plan by design, and that exposing the methods could force a complete overhaul of U.S. presidential security.
A senior Trump administration official confirmed that U.S. fighter jets escorted the legacy aircraft to the United Kingdom and that members of the traveling press were instructed to keep window shades closed. Patterson said fighter escorts are routine for flights into hostile environments, citing similar protection for Clinton in 1997.
He stressed that the decoy and escort procedures are not tied to any specific president but are part of a broader effort to ensure continuity of the presidency. "These programs exist to protect no matter who the president is," he said.
Patterson also noted that past presidents, including Clinton, have used covert moves such as catering-truck transfers to conceal travel to war zones, and that the practice continues under current and future administrations.