Particle.news
Download on the App Store
82 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

Pentagon Approves Qatari Training Facility at Idaho Air Base

The site will host Qatari F-15s for joint training under U.S. control.

Image
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salutes during a welcome ceremony for Qatar Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud Al Thani, left, at the Pentagon, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud Al Thani (L) stands with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during a welcoming ceremony at the Pentagon on October 10, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Hegseth announced today that the Pentagon has agreed to host a new Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho.
Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud Al Thani (L) signs an agreement with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on October 10, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon has reportedly agreed to host a new Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho.

Overview

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani signed a letter of acceptance Friday to establish a Qatar Emiri Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
  • The facility will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots training alongside U.S. aircrews to strengthen combined readiness and interoperability.
  • Hegseth later clarified that the arrangement does not create a sovereign foreign base and that the facility will operate within a U.S.-controlled installation that already trains partner forces, including Singapore.
  • Planning has been under way for years, including a 2022 environmental review detailing a beddown of 12 F-15QA aircraft, about 300 Qatari and U.S. personnel, and an initial 10-year timeline funded through foreign military sales.
  • The approval follows President Trump’s recent executive order treating attacks on Qatar as threats to U.S. security and has drawn praise from Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson as well as criticism from Trump-aligned activists such as Laura Loomer.