U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani present a signed agreement as they meet at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 10, 2025.

Ken Cedeno | Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced an agreement to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at a U.S. Air Force Base in Idaho.

Hegeth said the facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base will allow pilots from Qatar‘s air force to train with American military personnel.

The Defense secretary made the announcement at a Pentagon press conference with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Hegseth said the facility will “host a contingent a Qatari F-15’s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability, it’s just another example of our partnership.”

The Mountain Home Air Force Base currently has a contingent of F-15 fighter jets from Singapore’s air force stationed there as part of a training program for that nation’s pilots.

The Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Hegseth’s announcement.

The announcement is another sign of the deepening of the relationship between the Trump administration and Qatar.

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Last month, following Israel’s decision to go through with a military strike in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, the president signed an executive order “assuring the security of the state of Qatar.”

Earlier this year, the administration accepted a Boeing 747 jet gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari government.

A Pentagon spokesperson told CNBC that Hegseth accepted the luxury plane “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”

The gift drew criticism from Democrats and others who said the jet smacked as looking like bribe to President Donald Trump.

Trump’s family business has also been expanding its footprint in the Middle East — including a golf resort in Doha with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund’s real estate arm, as well as a Trump International Hotel & Tower in Dubai, a Trump Tower located in Jeddah, and a hotel that is under construction in Muscat.