Qatar To Build Air Force Facility At US Base In Idaho
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| Qatar To Build Air Force Facility At US Base In Idaho. |
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday an agreement allowing the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a new facility at a US Air Force Base in Idaho.
The facility will be located at Mountain Home Air Force Base and will serve as a training center where Qatari Air Force pilots can train alongside American military personnel. The move highlights the growing military cooperation between the two nations.
During a Pentagon press conference with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Hegseth explained that the new facility will host several Qatari F-15 fighter jets and their pilots. He said the goal is to enhance joint training, increase combat readiness, and strengthen interoperability between both air forces.
Currently, Mountain Home Air Force Base also hosts a contingent of F-15 fighter jets from Singapore’s Air Force as part of a similar training program. With Qatar joining, the base will become an even more significant international defense collaboration hub.
The Pentagon has not yet provided additional details about the construction plan. However, this announcement marks another sign of the deepening relationship between the Trump administration and Qatar.
Last month, following Israel’s decision to carry out a military strike in Doha, Qatar’s capital, President Donald Trump signed an executive order assuring the security of the State of Qatar.
Earlier this year, the US administration accepted a Boeing 747 jet as a gift from the Qatari government. A Pentagon spokesperson told CNBC that Hegseth accepted the luxury plane “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
The gift, however, drew criticism from Democrats and other political observers who argued that it appeared as an attempt to curry favor with President Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump’s family business has been expanding its investments in the Middle East, including a golf resort in Doha developed with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Dubai, the Trump Tower in Jeddah, and a new hotel currently under construction in Muscat, Oman.
Qatar’s decision to build a military training facility in the United States underscores the strengthening defense and security ties between the two nations, further emphasizing their shared strategic interests in the region.
