The Air Force has quietly eliminated all in-person and virtual hearings for Special Access Program (SAP) appeals, replacing them with a paper-only process and making the service’s special access oversight office the final authority. “The [Special Access Program Central Office] appeals process will transition, effective January 21, 2026, from in-person hearings located in the Washington, D.C. area to an administrative appeals process. I thought the Air Force was pretty progressive in this area, more progressive than the Army and the Navy. It is also possible that the Air Force acted unilaterally. Ideally, Meyer said, guidance on changes to Special Access Program access and appeals should come from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.