Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon has agreed to build a new facility in Idaho to host fighter jets and pilots from Qatar.
Hegseth made the announcement during a Pentagon ceremony honoring Qatari Minister of Defense Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, where the Trump administration official also highlighted the “core part” the Gulf nation played in securing the Gaza peace deal.
“Today, we’re announcing a letter of acceptance in building a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho,” Hegseth said.
“You have been a core part of what has unfolded in Gaza, a historic moment,” the Pentagon chief added. “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.”
Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots will be able to participate in joint training exercises with US forces at the new facility.
Hosting members of Qatar’s air force in Idaho will “enhance our combined training, increase lethality, [and] interoperability,” Hegseth said.
The war secretary later offered an “Important clarification” on X.
“The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft,” Hegseth 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.”
Qatar, which acts as the home base for Hamas’ political leaders, has been mediating peace talks between the Trump administration, Israel and the Palestinian terror group for months. --->READ MORE HERE
MAGA influencers criticized a training agreement announced by Defense Secretary Hegseth
A Friday announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about a new training arrangement with Qatar’s Air Force has sparked a backlash from President Trump’s supporters, prompting him to issue a clarification later in the day.
During a visit by Qatar’s defense minister, Hegseth announced a new facility that would be built at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Elmore County, Idaho, to host and train Qatari pilots on U.S.-made F-15s.
The U.S. is building a “Qatari Emiri Air Force facility,” Hegseth said, “to enhance our combined training, increase the lethality and interoperability.”
Qatar, a Persian Gulf nation with little airspace of its own, has long cultivated ties with the U.S. military. Its Al Udeid Air Base serves as a platform for American warplanes in the Middle East and hosts the U.S.’s air war command center for the region. Qatar also served as an important hub when the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan.
The new facility, U.S. Air Force officials said, would include hangars for the F-15QA, the Qatari version of the jet it purchased through foreign military sales.
But Qatar has also been a bane of American conservatives because of its history in hosting Hamas’s political leadership and its support for other Islamist groups.
It didn’t take long for MAGA pundits to react. Laura Loomer, the right-wing influencer, warned that the U.S. was “training the funders of Hamas.” --->READ MORE HERE or HERE
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment