BEIRUT — A new training facility for the Qatari Air Force hosted at a US air base has practical benefits for Qatar, but also offers a broader signal about the solidifying ties between the two nations, experts told Breaking Defense.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth first made the announcement for the training facility on Oct. 10 — just weeks after Israel stuck a meeting of Hamas officials in Doha — during a signing ceremony held with Qatar’s Defense Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“I’m also proud that today we’re announcing or signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, location will be host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase, lethality, interoperability,” Hegseth said.
After pushback from domestic critics on the right, Hegseth later emphasized, “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.”
Practical Benefits For Qatar
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The goal of the facility, which will house Qatari F-15 QAs, is to have a space to train Qatari pilots and ground crew for missions, operations and maintenance. For Doha, it “solves a simple constraint such as limited home airspace while accelerating pilot proficiency on a marquee U.S. fighter is has bought in numbers,” Rashid Al Mohnannadi, non-resident fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Breaking Defense.
The construction of facilities, along with operational support for the Qatari F-15s, were executed through the use of Foreign Military Sales (FMS), according to a US official.
The official noted that the facility “will provide advanced training opportunities and foster combined operational readiness.
“The establishment of an enduring location for Qatari F-15 aircraft at Mountain Home Air Force Base provides Qatar with strategic flexibility to operate and sustain their advanced fighter aircraft,” the official said. The training facilities will foster “stronger defense partnerships and enhancing joint operational capabilities. This effort will increase the lethality of our warfighters and improve interoperability among allied and partner nations.”
In 2016, the US State Department approved an FMS of 72 F-15 fighter jets to Qatar valued at $21.1 billion. The final deal signed in 2017, however, was for 36 jets worth $12 billion. In 2021, the Qatari air force received the first batch of the aircraft.
Geopolitical Benefits
But beyond the enhanced training for Qatari pilots, analysts saw the public announcement of the facility as a larger geopolitical message, coming at a fragile moment in the Middle East.
“The establishment of the new air base in the US is a strategic move that enhances Qatar’s influence in the United States while simultaneously keeping potential political tensions with the US administration at bay, and strengthening personal ties with [US President Donald] Trump,” Ali Bakir, a professor at Qatar University told Breaking Defense.
Bakir further noted that “this initiative will help Doha solidify its positive image within the current US administration. Additionally, it is expected to create jobs in the US, improve infrastructure, and strengthen military ties with the Department of Defense.”
After Israel struck Hamas targets in Doha in early September, Trump prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally apologize to Qatari leaders. Trump also signed an executive order stating that any armed attack on Qatar’s territory is considered a threat to the peace and security of the United States.
Kristian Alexander, a senior fellow at the United Arab Emirates-based Rabdan Security and Defence Institute, told Breaking Defense that the new announcement is “a ‘burden-sharing’ message” which “underlines Qatar’s value to Washington at a time when its mediation role and defense ties are both in the spotlight.”
He added that this agreement acts as a “powerful gesture of reciprocity, solidifying Doha’s status as a ‘Major Non-NATO Ally,’ a designation it received in 2022, and ensuring its long-term alignment with U.S. interests.”
Al Mohannadi added that “such facilities would help air forces developing more operational autonomy. And when allies like the Gulf states have more operational autonomy it’s pours into burden sharing and reduced US footprint in the Middle East for them to focus on the east Asia theater.”
Looking to the future, Bakir noted that this agreement could lead to Qatar buying more US-made weapons.
“Gulf nations typically enhance their leverage by purchasing more US weapons, investing heavily in the US economy and lobby efforts, or offering extensive commercial and investment opportunities for the US within the region,” he said.