Hegseth says US will host Qatari air force facility in Idaho

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday the U.S. will host a new Qatari air force facility in Idaho, where pilots will train to fly F-15s. 

Hegseth said the Trump administration has signed the letter greenlighting the building of a Qatar Emiri air force contingent at the Mountain Home Air Force Base located in southwestern Idaho. 

Qatar Emiri air force is the air arm of Qatar’s armed forces. 

“Location will be host to a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability,” Hegeseth said Friday. “It’s just another example of our partnership.”

Mountain Home Air Force Base, located in Elmore County, already hosts Singapore’s air force F-15SG fighter jets.

Hegeseth announced the agreement sitting alongside Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari defense minister who was at the Pentagon on Friday. 

The Defense chief said the agreement showcases the strength of the partnership between Qatar and the U.S. and added that Doha’s officials played a key role in securing the Gaza peace deal. 

“You have been a core part of what has unfolded in Gaza, a historic moment. We’re grateful for the strong partnership that we have, the way you support our troops at Al Udeid, Your Excellency, the line of communication we’ve had together,” Hegseth said, referencing the U.S. military base in Qatar.

Earlier this month, Trump penned an executive order to increase U.S. protection of Qatar following an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha that killed six people, including a Qatari security officer.

“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” the Oct. 1 order says.

The president decided to accept a $400 million plane from the Qatari government earlier this year, raising some ethical and national security concerns among experts. The jet, when retrofitted, will be utilized as Air Force One. 

—Updated at 1:40 p.m. EDT