US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced that Qatar will be allowed to build its own air force facility on the grounds of Mountain Home Air Force Base in the US state of Idaho. In future, Qatari F-15QA fighter jets and pilots are to be stationed there to train together with US troops.
“The site will host a squadron of Qatari F-15s and pilots to strengthen our joint training, strike capability and interoperability,” Hegseth said during a meeting with his Qatari counterpart Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon. “This is another example of our close partnership – you can count on us.”
The move comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump signed a security guarantee for Qatar – a remarkable step in favor of an Arab non-NATO country.
NATO
-partner. The agreement had been in the pipeline for several years and, according to US authorities, dates back to the time of the previous administration.
A Pentagon spokesman emphasized that this was a routine cooperation program, as the
US Air Force
already has with partner nations such as Germany and Singapore. The Qatari facilities are to include twelve F-15QA jets and around 300 Qatari and US Air Force personnel. The project provides for training infrastructure, workshops and mission preparation rooms – financed by Qatari contributions under the US Foreign Military Sales program.
In a post on X, Hegseth emphasized that it was not a “Qatari base on US soil”, but a jointly used training facility. At the same time, he praised Qatar’s “essential role” in the recent peace talks between Israel and Hamas as well as its support during the US air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Qatar is already home to Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Gulf region. “The establishment of a Qatari air base at Mountain Home strengthens our interoperability, enhances joint operational readiness and furthers our common defense objectives,” said Defense Minister al-Thani. “Together, we will continue to deepen this strategic partnership for lasting peace and common security.”
Here for more news about the Qatari armed forces.
