Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the U.S. will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho – the latest move for the Trump administration to deepen its relationship with Qatar.
At the Pentagon, Hegseth, joined by the Qatari Minister of Defense, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he was “honored and excited” to be signing a letter of acceptance that will permit the Qatari air force to build a facility on the U.S. airbase.
Hegseth said Mountain Home Air Base will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots that will train alongside U.S. soldiers to “enhance our combined training, increase lethality, [and] interoperability.”
The secretary said it was “another example” of the U.S.-Qatari partnership.
While there are no foreign military bases in the U.S., the U.S. does allow foreign militaries to train at its bases. The Singaporean Air Force has maintained a presence at the Mountain Home Air Base since 2009 to train alongside U.S. soldiers.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the US would allow Qatar to build an air force facility on Mountain Home Air Force base in Idaho (REUTERS)
Although Hegseth signed the letter of acceptance on Friday, a deal to allow Qatari Air Force members to train in the U.S. has been in the works for years.
The U.S. signed a $12 billion deal with Qatar in 2017, providing Qatar with Boeing F-15 Eagle fighter jets and training. The U.S. also signed a multi-million-dollar contract with Qatar in 2019, promising to provide aircrew and maintenance training to the Qatari Emiri Air Force for the jets.
A 2022 report from the Spokesman-Review indicates that Mountain Home Air Base was preparing for 170 Qatari trainees to arrive around early 2024. Preliminary plans included 90 single-family housing units and a two-story dormitory to allow Qatari trainees to bring families.
However, it is unclear how much the plans have changed since then. Hegseth provided few details other than the initial approved letter.
A U.S. official familiar with the matter said the construction and operational support of the facility was provided through foreign military sales.
Some members of President Donald Trump’s MAGA base did not embrace Hegseth’s announcement with the same gusto as the Defense Secretary.
Mountain Home Air Force Base has hosted Singaporean air force trainees since 2009 (Getty Images)
Laura Loomer, a staunch Trump ally, vehemently opposed the Qatari agreement on X, going on a multi-tweet rampage using Islamophobic rhetoric and raising concerns about national security.
“What the hell is going on?” Loomer wrote in a tweet before claiming it would “encourage more Islamic infiltration.”
“I did NOT vote for this,” Ana Vandersteel wrote.
Although the U.S.-based Qatari Emiri Air Force facility plan has been known for years, the timing of Hegseth’s approval comes as Trump flexes the U.S. relationship with Qatar.
Earlier this year, the Qatari government gifted Trump a Boeing 747 jetliner, estimated to be worth up to $400 million, to be used as Air Force One. The gift led to concerns from the public about opening the door for potential corruption. However, the White House brushed those aside, assuring the gift was to the United States, not Trump.
Trump has developed a close relationship with Qatar in his second administration, vowing to defend them against attacks (Getty Images)
In September, the president signed an executive order committing the U.S. to defending Qatar if it comes under attack.
Recently, Trump has praised Qatar as well for assisting the U.S. in creating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to end the two-year-long deadly conflict.
Hegseth reiterated those remarks Friday, acknowledging Qatar’s “substantial” contribution to assisting in negotiations.
