The U.S. will allow Qatar to build a military training facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho to deepen the bilateral defense ties.
The agreement was signed yesterday by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari Defense Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. This agreement will see Qatari F-15QA fighter jets and pilots stationed in Idaho for joint training with U.S. forces over the next decade.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s recent executive order pledging to treat any attack on Qatar as a threat to U.S. security. The announcement comes amid heightened tensions after an Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas also killed a Qatari serviceman.
The facility will house around 300 U.S. and Qatari personnel and operate as an integrated but separate fighter squadron under the U.S. Fighter Wing. While the U.S. regularly trains foreign forces domestically, the scale of the Qatari presence is considered unusual. Qatar is a key mediator in the recent Gaza ceasefire, and already hosts the largest U.S. base in West Asia and was recently designated a major non-NATO ally.
