US to Host Qatar Planes, Pilots for Joint Training at Idaho Base

Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shake hands after signing a letter of acceptance to establish a Qatari Emiri Air Force training facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Oct. 10. — Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shake hands after signing a letter of acceptance to establish a Qatari Emiri Air Force training facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Oct. 10.
Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/AFP/Getty Images

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By Courtney McBride and Anthony Capaccio

October 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM UTC

The Pentagon announced plans to build a facility to house Qatari F-15 fighter jets and train its pilots at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, further deepening a partnership with a US ally that has played a key role in President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a Gaza peace agreement.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the effort would bolster “combined training, increase the lethality, interoperability” of the militaries.