WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The U.S. military is moving forward with plans to build a dedicated facility in Idaho to train pilots from Qatar, an important U.S. ally in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday.<\/p>\n
Hegseth, who made the announcement during a visit by Qatar\u2019s defense minister, said the facility to be built at the Mountain Home Air Force Base would \u201chost a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase the lethality, interoperability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The arrangement is not unusual. Pentagon officials noted that similar facilities have been set up for other allies for decades, and the Idaho base already hosts a fighter squadron from Singapore.<\/p>\n
But the news drew a sharp rebuke from close Trump ally and right-wing influencer Laura Loomer<\/a>, who called the plan \u201can abomination\u201d and accused the Qataris of being associated with Islamic terror organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cNo foreign country should have a military base on US soil. Especially Islamic countries,\u201d Loomer wrote in one of several social media posts just hours after Hegseth\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n Although Loomer holds no formal position within the Trump administration, her online complaints have a history of achieving results. Her criticisms have led to the firing of officials on the National Security Council<\/a>, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s vaccine chief,<\/a> and Gen. Tim Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n Qatar, which hosts the biggest U.S. military base<\/a> in the Middle East, made clear that it will not have a base on U.S. soil and that it will cover the costs of building the training facility. <\/p>\n \u201cThis will not be a Qatari air base,\u201d the spokesman for the embassy in Washington said in a statement posted on X. \u201cRather, Qatar has made an initial 10-year commitment to construct and maintain a dedicated facility within an existing US air base, intended for advanced training and to enhance interoperability in defending and advancing our shared interests around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement said the project will create hundreds of jobs for Americans and noted that the planning began several years ago and it received local approval.<\/p>\n When asked for more details about the future facility, Hegseth\u2019s office said it had nothing to offer beyond the secretary\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n The announcement comes just days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order<\/a> vowing to use all measures, including U.S. military action, to defend Qatar.<\/p>\n Loomer also criticized that decision, writing, \u201cI don\u2019t want to die for Qatar. Do you?\u201d on social media. However, she was not alone.<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal\u2019s editorial board also questioned the pledge, writing that \u201cthis is a decision that can be and should have been debated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInstead it comes out of the blue \u2014 an executive order following no public debate,\u201d the board wrote.<\/p>\n The small, gas-rich country played a key role<\/a> in negotiating the most recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza, as well as in several other key negotiations. Doha, the capital of Qatar, came under surprise attack from Israel last month as members of Hamas were in the city last month to discuss a ceasefire.<\/p>\n Qatar also lavished a $400 million jumbo jet<\/a> on Trump for use as Air Force One.<\/p>\n However, the Qataris\u2019 connection with U.S. military aviation predates these more recent developments. <\/p>\n