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A new agreement will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
The agreement was announced on Friday, as Hegseth met with Qatari Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon. It will allow Qatari pilots to be trained alongside US pilots.
Although there are no foreign military bases in the US, foreign militaries maintain a presence on some US bases for training purposes. The Singaporean Air Force also has a presence at Mountain Home.
“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15’s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability, it’s just another example of our partnership,” Hegseth said at the meeting with his Qatari counterpart.
“And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us.”
Later on Friday, Hegseth issued a clarification on X.
“The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft,” he wrote.
“However, to be clear, 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.”
The Trump administration’s relationship with Qatar has deepened in recent months.
In September, President Trump signed an Executive Order “assuring the security of the state of Qatar,” following Israel’s decision to carry out a military strike in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” Order stated.
Qatar is also understood to have played a “substantial” role in the Israel-Hamas peace deal.
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