US Greenlights Qatar Air Force Facility at Idaho Base
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Strengthening defense ties, Qatar to base F-15s and pilots at Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Base.
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In a move highlighting the growing defense partnership between Washington and Doha, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that Qatar will establish an air force facility at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho to host its F-15 fighter jets and pilots.
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“We’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho,” Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon, joined by Qatari Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, as well as increase lethality and interoperability,” he added. “It’s just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us.”
The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s executive order pledging to defend Qatar after recent Israeli air strikes in Doha targeting Hamas leaders.
Mountain Home Air Base, which already hosts a fighter squadron from Singapore, will soon become a new hub for joint US-Qatari military collaboration.
Hegseth also praised Qatar’s “substantial role” in mediating negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas truce and hostage-prisoner swap, as well as its assistance in securing the release of a US citizen from Afghanistan.
Qatar’s defence minister hailed the “strong, enduring partnership” and “deep defence relationship” between the two nations, underscoring the Gulf state’s ongoing commitment to regional and global security.
The new facility marks another milestone in the expanding US-Qatar strategic alliance, which has long centered on defense, diplomacy, and counterterrorism cooperation.