Qatar is set to build an air force training facility at Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho, marking a significant expansion of its defense partnership with the United States, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday.
Speaking alongside Qatari Defence Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the new site would host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and their pilots for advanced training alongside U.S. forces.
“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability — it's just another example of our partnership,” he stated.
Hegseth praised Qatar’s role in recent international diplomacy, specifically its contribution to U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. “You can count on us,” he told al-Thani.
The announcement formalizes a long-discussed agreement and underscores deepening military ties between the two countries. The Pentagon did not provide details on the number of aircraft involved or when the Idaho facility would become operational.
The development comes just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging to defend Qatar by “all necessary means,” including military force — a move that effectively elevates Qatar’s defense status to near-NATO levels of commitment.
The extraordinary security pledge followed a controversial Israeli airstrike in Doha on 9 September that targeted Hamas figures. The strike killed several low-ranking members of the group and a Qatari security official, raising regional tensions and drawing strong condemnation from the Gulf state.
Qatar, which hosts the U.S. military’s largest base in the Middle East — al-Udeid Airbase — has long played a central role in regional diplomacy. The base, which serves as the U.S. Air Force’s main command center for operations across the region, was itself struck earlier this year by Iranian missiles in retaliation for American strikes on Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Friday’s announcement reflects growing trust and coordination between Washington and Doha, as both nations navigate an increasingly volatile Middle East.
Source: BBC
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