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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the United States will host a Qatari Emiri Air Force base on American soil.
The secretary hosted the Qatari Minister of Defense at the Pentagon, just days after a tentative “phase one” peace agreement was struck between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict.
Qatar has played a large role in assisting the U.S. in achieving a peace deal in the region, according to Hegseth.
“No one other than President Trump could have achieved what we believe will be a lasting peace in Gaza, and Qatar played a substantial role from the beginning, working with our folks to ensure that came about,” Hegseth said during a press conference with the minister.
He continued, “We’re announcing [and] signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho. The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, [and] interoperability. It’s just another example of our partnership.”
This newest investment between Qatar and the United States comes just a handful of months after President Donald Trump traveled to the Middle East region and secured a $1.2 trillion economic commitment from the country.
As reported by RSBN, this included a $96 billion agreement between U.S. airline companies Boeing and GE Aerospace and Qatar Airways. The deal additionally included security partnerships and support for Qatar’s air defense and maritime security.
While the decision to allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility on U.S. soil may be surprising to some, American forces have long been stationed in Qatar.
U.S. forces have been stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar since September 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
In May, President Trump even stopped by the facility and spoke to U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed there.
