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Ponietz

(4,088 posts)
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:10 PM Friday

Hegseth announces Qatar will build air force facility at U.S. base in Idaho

Source: CBS News

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced a finalized agreement that will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

The agreement, which Hegseth announced alongside Qatari Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon, will allow Qatari pilots to receive training alongside U.S. soldiers. There are no foreign military bases in the U.S., but some foreign militaries do maintain a presence for training. The Singaporean Air Force also has a presence at the Mountain Home base.

Hegseth said he is "proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho."

"The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15's and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability, it's just another example of our partnership," Hegseth said. "And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-qatar-air-force-facility-us-base-idaho/



Sorry for the CBS link but I got paywalls for others.
46 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Hegseth announces Qatar will build air force facility at U.S. base in Idaho (Original Post) Ponietz Friday OP
So much for trump's "America first" bullshit. BComplex Friday #1
Buy American Coolgoober Friday #2
Buy [an] American more like Ponietz Friday #3
Another Islamic training camp??? Grins Friday #4
Questions: how much will it cost, who's paying for it, and/or was it in exchange for the plane they "gave" Trump? surfered Friday #5
We knew that Qatari jet wasn't free Ponietz Friday #10
Wait Coolgoober Friday #6
Republicans were behind that evil disaster also BoRaGard Friday #42
But will it be able to service 747s? Sneederbunk Friday #7
Good one! thought crime Friday #38
Will he be giving them the Medal of Honor, too? Champp Friday #8
This is insanity Hekate Friday #9
Sounds like a plan by pedo Trump to allow slavery Farmer-Rick Friday #11
When I first read the title, I thought it was an Onion article. yellow dahlia Friday #12
Me too. Nt lostnfound Friday #18
It was negotiated by Biden Abnredleg Friday #13
President Biden negotiated a different deal with Qatar in 2024 Marthe48 Friday #15
It takes years to work these deals out Abnredleg Friday #29
Not quite Ponietz Friday #22
It's a routine training agreement Abnredleg Friday #30
Nothing in that article says Qatar would build a base. It spooky3 Friday #27
I don't really see a meaningful distinction between Ms. Toad Yesterday #44
Thank you for fact checking. n/t Ms. Toad Yesterday #45
I hope it includes a big mosque and minaret JoseBalow Friday #14
Maybe he and Mango Mussolini think that it would be easier to sic troops from Qatar on US citizens catbyte Friday #16
This seems like a huge national security risk. nycbos Friday #17
We've been training pilots from the ME for decades Abnredleg Friday #31
That's different nycbos Friday #35
That's not correct Abnredleg Friday #37
Somehow I don't think maga will like this radical noodle Friday #19
I saw that loomer freak already posted against it. IrishAfricanAmerican Friday #20
Oh! of course! Trueblue Texan Friday #21
Deport them. joanbarnes Friday #23
$100,000 gold visas on sale! Ponietz Friday #24
I can remember back to Chump's first term .... it wasn't that long ago .... FakeNoose Friday #25
MAGA is not feeling this yliza Friday #26
Trump's New World Order blm Friday #28
📌 There are several workarounds for paywalls. You will find them here: littlemissmartypants Friday #32
Correct me if I am wrong Traildogbob Friday #33
Wait... WHAT...... LilElf70 Friday #34
Other countries have people here. James48 Friday #36
If you find yourself at a post with a German contingent, I suggest dinner at the German club. TomSlick Friday #39
Trump Airlines is reborn. twodogsbarking Friday #40
Republican surrender monkeys. BoRaGard Friday #41
Those Idahoans will just accept those Qataris as brother. republianmushroom Yesterday #43
All those displaced South Africans can find work there. milestogo Yesterday #46

Coolgoober

(162 posts)
2. Buy American
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:17 PM
Friday

Are they going to use American architects, and American materials and American workers and so on and so on?

Grins

(8,949 posts)
4. Another Islamic training camp???
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:24 PM
Friday

Remember after 9/11 when that was all the rage on the right? They were everywhere!

Say, Pete. How about a Ukrainian Air Force Facility at the Mountain Home Air Base?

surfered

(9,719 posts)
5. Questions: how much will it cost, who's paying for it, and/or was it in exchange for the plane they "gave" Trump?
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:26 PM
Friday

Do they want to learn how to land?

Coolgoober

(162 posts)
6. Wait
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:26 PM
Friday

Didn't something really bad happen when we trained (in the U.S.A.) Muslims how to fly planes? Asking for a friend

Champp

(2,294 posts)
8. Will he be giving them the Medal of Honor, too?
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:30 PM
Friday

for spending a lot of money here, which is super important to the Republicans even if it means putting a potentially poison pill in the heart of the nation.

P.S. the Wounded Knee slaughter of women children and elders is worthy of no medal whatsoever. Shame for cutting down unarmed civilians. Shame. Only a Republican could think that was anything other than an absolute disgrace.,

Farmer-Rick

(12,096 posts)
11. Sounds like a plan by pedo Trump to allow slavery
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:35 PM
Friday

Qatar is known to have a very large population of slaves. They use them in construction a lot. Only recently have they outlawed slavery but it's not very well enforced by the kings and princeses.

Now they come to the US with their slaves, to build a base here. Slavery in the US again. Who would have thunk it?

Abnredleg

(1,213 posts)
13. It was negotiated by Biden
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 02:33 PM
Friday

Qatar just bought F15s and will do their training at Mountain Home AFB - Singapore also has a F 15 training squadron there.

Here’s an article from 2022:

https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2022-01-18/deal-qatar-air-rorce-members-idaho-base-4330963.html

Marthe48

(22,068 posts)
15. President Biden negotiated a different deal with Qatar in 2024
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 03:17 PM
Friday

Not this deal. Please check to see if I'm wrong.

Abnredleg

(1,213 posts)
29. It takes years to work these deals out
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:28 PM
Friday

So Obama, Trump and Biden administrations were involved at various times. The big 2024 deal was the sale of 50 F15s to Israel.

This basing agreement wasn’t seen as controversial since we do it all the time. Singapore has a detachment in Idaho for F15 training and just announced they will do their F35 training in Arkansas.

Ponietz

(4,088 posts)
22. Not quite
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:13 PM
Friday

Looks like Herr Drumpft sold the jets and the promise of a base in 2017. Biden was stuck with the shit end of the stick but delayed implementation. Qatar sweetened it by investing $2 billion in the crypto scam and threw in a 747. Here we are.

spooky3

(37,973 posts)
27. Nothing in that article says Qatar would build a base. It
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:22 PM
Friday

Describes how Qatari officers would train at an existing US base.

Ms. Toad

(37,856 posts)
44. I don't really see a meaningful distinction between
Sat Oct 11, 2025, 11:55 AM
Yesterday

Building a facility on an existing base (the op), and expanding the footprint, building hangars, dormitories, etc. on that same existing base (the linked article).

catbyte

(38,002 posts)
16. Maybe he and Mango Mussolini think that it would be easier to sic troops from Qatar on US citizens
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 03:27 PM
Friday

than to order the US military to do it. Maybe he can talk North Korea into it next.

Fucking hell.

Abnredleg

(1,213 posts)
31. We've been training pilots from the ME for decades
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:31 PM
Friday

Haven’t had any major issues as far as I can tell.

nycbos

(6,567 posts)
35. That's different
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 05:26 PM
Friday

They come to US operated bases in either here or ones in the Middle East. This is allowing a foreign country to operate a base on US soil.

Abnredleg

(1,213 posts)
37. That's not correct
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 05:49 PM
Friday

They will have a training facility at Mountain Home AFB, identical to the Singaporean training facility that has been operating at Mountain Home for a number of years.

The announcements specifically says “facility”, not “base”.

radical noodle

(10,408 posts)
19. Somehow I don't think maga will like this
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 03:58 PM
Friday

When I saw this elsewhere I thought it must be fake news. Then I saw it on the BBC. It seems trump is no longer playing to his base at all.

IrishAfricanAmerican

(4,337 posts)
20. I saw that loomer freak already posted against it.
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:01 PM
Friday

She must feel like a rag in the wind the way she's always posting one way then the other. MTG too!

Trueblue Texan

(3,860 posts)
21. Oh! of course!
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:04 PM
Friday

So the Qataris can do a 9-11 on our cities 'cuz the Saudis already had their turn!

FakeNoose

(38,964 posts)
25. I can remember back to Chump's first term .... it wasn't that long ago ....
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:17 PM
Friday

He spent close to 4 years in a pissing contest with Qatar. He never said one good thing about Qatar, and mainly treated them like an enemy, or at least a non-friend of the USA. Now we're letting them bring their jets and pilots to our military bases inside the country?

yliza

(191 posts)
26. MAGA is not feeling this
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:18 PM
Friday

Laura Loomer threatened to sit out the 2026 election because of it. Maybe they’ll figure out that the fat flatulent fraud is in it for himself and doesn’t give a crap about them. My prediction is that orange taco will back off and it won’t happen, but I thought that about the plane so I could be wrong.

littlemissmartypants

(29,999 posts)
32. 📌 There are several workarounds for paywalls. You will find them here:
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:35 PM
Friday
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Traildogbob

(11,992 posts)
33. Correct me if I am wrong
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:38 PM
Friday

Early in this Israel Hamas war I thought I saw many times on news reporting that a big Home Base of Hamas leaders was in Qatar?
If so, how will we be able to not allow this to be a back door entrance to terroristic Hamas warriors.
I know we need the border resources to keep out those other shades of brown that do not grease the palms of GQP politicians. Those poor rapers, drug mules and killers. Those brown pedo’s coming for your little girls, like trump and the Epstein train.
Hamas are good wealthy folks, that love American infidels. Allah is great✊🏾

LilElf70

(1,136 posts)
34. Wait... WHAT......
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 04:53 PM
Friday

It might be just me, but this sure looks like handing over the key to the castle to an outsider. Imagine the damage that might occur from this toopid toopid idea. One has to sit back and say WHY?

WTF is going on in this country? Is this really happening?

James48

(4,985 posts)
36. Other countries have people here.
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 05:46 PM
Friday

It always suprises me when people get upset about foreign military in the USA- we’ve been doing it - training foreign militaries- for more than 100 years.

We already have , stationed “permanently” , military personnel from multiple nations here.

Germany has about 1,000 of their military people stationed here. Permanent slots to support their troops who come here for training.

Qatar has had training here for years as well. As does the Netherlands, the United Kingsom, Singapore, and various other nations who send people here for training. It’s not new.

“Permanent” just means there are staffers here full time, but just visiting for training. They usually do one to three year rotations.

TomSlick

(12,753 posts)
39. If you find yourself at a post with a German contingent, I suggest dinner at the German club.
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 07:21 PM
Friday

My last meal at a German club was amazing.

BoRaGard

(7,591 posts)
41. Republican surrender monkeys.
Fri Oct 10, 2025, 10:34 PM
Friday

Under the wacko leadership of the Republican draft dodger in charge, the Republicans are just going to invite further weakening of America and America’s defenses.

republianmushroom

(21,611 posts)
43. Those Idahoans will just accept those Qataris as brother.
Sat Oct 11, 2025, 11:33 AM
Yesterday

This will be interesting to say the least.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Hegseth announces Qatar w...