Hegseth Announces Qatari Air Force Facility in Idaho

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2025/10/10/hegseth-announces-qatari-air-force-facility-in-idaho/

Hegseth Announces Qatari Air Force Facility in Idaho
October 10, 2025 at 10:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced “we’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho.”

[RT Atlanta]

1. Huh?!?

Talk about a 3rd world country.... since when does USA let this happen?

Is that in Idaho so that the qatari's can fly their jets there to go skiing?

wtf is right!

[Historic NY]

2. Why?

[leftstreet]

3. wut?

[spanone]

4. They didn't give trmp a $400 MILLION plane for nothing.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Is this quid pro quo for the billion dollar plane?

[TheRickles]

6. Not Borowitz/Onion?

[dalton99a]

7. Imagine a Democratic president giving an air force base in Idaho to an Islamic country

[Rebl2]

8. Exactly!

I would be questioning if this is legal.

[newdeal2]

9. Umm what the fuck

Why are they allowing a foreign country in?

I know, money. But really wtf

[Abnredleg]

10. Several foreign AFs have training facilities in the US

and have done so for decades, the most notable being the German Luftwaffe's presence in New Mexico since 1958. Singapore has training facilities in Arkansas, and many other air forces go through training at other bases. And it's not just air forces - the Germans had a presence at Fort Bliss from 1956 until 2022.

This done because many nations don't have the airspace and/or weather to efficiently train their militaries.

Everyone take a deep breath and slowly let it out.

[chowder66]

11. EDITED: This was initiated in 2017

BOISE, Idaho (Tribune News Service) — The U.S. Air Force soon may bring 170 members of Qatar's air force to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. They would be coming to learn to fly the newest model of the F-15 fighter jet specially modified for the Persian Gulf state.

The Qatar trainees may be in for a culture shock should they find themselves in the city of Mountain Home. More than 90% of Qataris live in the capital of Doha, which is full of skyscrapers, luxury hotels and attractions, museums and world-class food. The country is also incredibly flat and dry, with the majority of its land being desert.

Qatar is one of just four areas in the world without a single forest. Not to mention the differing temperatures between Qatar and Idaho: Qatar averages 107 degrees in July and rarely gets below 50 degrees even in winter.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2022-01-18/deal-qatar-air-rorce-members-idaho-base-4330963.html
Source - Stars and Stripes

[maxsolomon]

13. Blegh, Mountain Home on the scenic Snake River Plain.

The Qataris and Momos will get along famously.