Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. will let Qatar build a training facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho for Qatari F-15s and pilots to train with U.S. forces. Officials called the agreement routine and long planned, citing a 2022 assessment for basing 12 F-15QA jets, about 300 personnel, and a 10-year timeline starting in early FY2024. Hegseth stressed it will not be a Qatari-owned base. Qatar’s Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani hailed the deal; online critics, including activist Laura Loomer, denounced it.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.