Qatari embassy official reveals Biden admin role in new Idaho training facility finalized under Trump

FIRST ON FOX: A senior official from Qatar’s embassy in the United States outlined key details surrounding the newly announced training facility that will be constructed in Idaho and serve to further the alliance between the Middle Eastern country and the U.S.

Speculation has risen among several members of Congress regarding the details surrounding the nature of the training facility after War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the building of “a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho.”

“This is not a Qatari base,” Hamad Mohammed AlMuftah, deputy chief of mission for the Qatari embassy in Washington, D.C., clarified to Fox News Digital. “Qatar will fully fund the construction of the training facility, as well as barracks for the airmen who will be stationed there. There will be no cost to the American taxpayer, and, in fact, the investment will support and generate jobs in the Idaho region.”

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“In 2017, the U.S. and Qatar finalized a $12 billion agreement for F-15QA fighter aircraft, part of a broader package approved by Congress and valued at up to $21.1 billion in U.S. foreign military sales to Qatar,” Hamad continued. “This arrangement was years in the making and is similar to existing programs between the United States and several of its international allies.” 

“It represents a continued expression of the strong defense partnership between Qatar and the United States, including ongoing cooperation to further expand our collective defense capabilities,” Hamad added.

President Donald Trump’s secretary of war reaffirmed that Qataris “will not have their own base” in a social media post around the time the deal was announced. 

“Important clarification,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft.”

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“However, to be clear, Qatar will not have their own base in the United States — nor anything like a base,” Hegseth added. “We control the existing base, like we do with all partners.”

A senior Qatari official told Fox News Digital that the agreement was a 10-year commitment to host Qatari fighter pilots at the base in Idaho. 

When negotiations began under the Biden administration, there were discussions about having the training facility in Michigan, though it was later settled that the Qataris would train with U.S. soldiers at Mountain Home Air Base.

As for Idaho’s elected officials, Gov. Brad Little, Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, and Rep. Mike Simpson, all Republicans, wrote a letter to Hegseth last week outlining concerns and listing of questions about the facility. 

“In the interest of informing our constituents, maintaining open lines of communication, and fostering closer federal and state collaboration regarding this training squadron, we would like the Department to provide more information about the plans and intentions of this mission now that it appears to be finalized,” the letter from the elected officials read.

“We request that you provide a briefing to the Idaho Congressional Delegation, as well as for the Governor of Idaho and state legislators potentially impacted by the agreement, in Boise on the details of this agreement,” the governor and members of Congress added.

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Simpson, who joined in on the letter, initially praised the move after its announcement.

“Fantastic news for Mountain Home Air Force Base as @SecWar just announced the Pentagon has agreed to host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots here in Idaho,” Simpson’s post read. “This development is beneficial for training, enhances our partnership with America’s allies, and strengthens national security.”

“As I await further details about the agreement, I will continue working with Air Force and Mountain Home base leadership to ensure they have the support necessary to fulfill goals of global military readiness that keep Idahoans and Americans safe and protect our long-term national security interests,” Crapo said in a statement. 

While the U.S. base in Doha, Qatar, is considered U.S. soil, the training facility in Idaho will not be considered Qatari soil and will remain under U.S. control. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Little’s office but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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