Washington: In a major step reinforcing U.S.-Qatar defense ties, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced that Qatar will build an air force facility at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, which will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots for joint training operations.
The announcement, made at the Pentagon alongside Qatari Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging to defend Qatar following Israeli air strikes in Doha targeting Hamas leaders.
We’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base, Hegseth said, describing the project as a step toward enhancing combined training, increasing lethality, and improving interoperability.
He emphasized that the Idaho base, which already hosts a Singaporean Air Force squadron, will remain under full U.S. control.
Qatar will not have their own base in the United States nor anything like a base. We control the existing base, like we do with all partners, Hegseth later clarified on social media, amid online criticism from some conservative circles.
The Qatari minister praised the strong, enduring partnership between the two nations and thanked Washington for its strategic trust.
Qatar, which already hosts Al Udeid Air Base the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, has served as a key mediator in recent Israel-Hamas truce talks and played a crucial role in the release of a U.S. citizen from Afghanistan.
However, the move sparked debate on social media, with far-right commentator Laura Loomer accusing the administration of “giving a military base to Qatar,” remarks swiftly rebuffed by Pentagon officials.
Observers note that the Idaho facility plan had been under discussion since the Biden administration, underscoring the continuity of strategic defense cooperation across party lines.