Qatari Air Force facility Planned for Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base
MOUNTAIN HOME, ID – August 26, 2025 – A new facility to host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots is planned for Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, according to an declaration made during a Pentagon press conference with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The move aims to “enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability,” and further strengthen the U.S.-Qatar partnership, said Hegseth, who made the announcement.
Mountain home Air Force Base currently hosts a training program for pilots from Singapore’s air force, with a contingent of F-15s stationed there.
The announcement follows a series of deepening ties between the Trump administration and Qatar. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order “assuring the security of the state of Qatar,” following Israel’s decision to consider a military strike in Doha. Earlier this year, the administration accepted a Boeing 747 jet gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari government, which a Pentagon spokesperson said was accepted ”in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
The gift of the jet drew criticism from Democrats, who characterized it as a potential bribe to President Trump. Senate Leader schumer introduced legislation to prohibit the use of foreign aircraft as Air Force One, citing potential national security risks and the billions of dollars it would cost taxpayers to retrofit and monitor the qatari plane.
trump’s business interests have also expanded in the Middle East, including a golf resort in Doha developed with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, as well as properties in Dubai, Jeddah, and Muscat.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the specifics of the planned facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
