Friday’s announcement was made during a meeting between Hegseth and Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon.
Mr. Hegseth praised Qatar’s role in helping to broker Gaza ceasefire negotiations, as the initial stages of an agreement between Israel and Hamas enter into force on Friday.
“No one other than President (Donald) Trump could achieve what we believe will be a lasting peace in Gaza. Qatar played a key role from the beginning,” Hegseth said.
Defense Minister Sheikh Saud also praised Washington and Doha’s cooperation in breaking a ceasefire that aims to end Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, which has killed at least 67,190 Palestinians.
He said the agreement shows what can be achieved when the United States works together with “courage and trust” with regional partners, including Egypt and Turkiye.
Hegseth then moved his remarks to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, which he said will host a force of Qatari F-15 fighters and pilots to “enhance joint training, increase lethality, (and) increase interoperability.”
Qatar’s media attaché to the United States, Ali al-Ansari, later clarified that the facility is “not a Qatari air base.”
Al-Ansari said in a statement that Qatar has made an initial 10-year commitment to build and maintain a dedicated facility at an existing U.S. air base for the purpose of “enhancing advanced training and interoperability to protect and advance our common interests around the world.”
RHM/