Source: Reference News
US MAGA activists oppose Qatar building “military base” in the United States
U.S. Defence Secretary Hegerseth met with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Saud bin Abdulaziz Alessani on 10th in the Pentagon, during which he announced that an facility will be built within a U.S. military base in Idaho to train Qatar pilots.
The move then sparked strong opposition from the far-right supporter of U.S. President Trump, Laura Lumer, but mistakenly identified the plan as "Qatar wants to build a military base on U.S. territory."
Previously Planned
According to Associated Press and Reuters, the two sides have actually discussed the military facility for years.
Qatar decided in 2017 to purchase F-15QA fighters through the U.S. government's "arms sale program", and the two countries then began discussions on training Qatar's military to use fighters.
An Environmental Assessment completed in 2022 revealed that a new construction facility was proposed at the Muntinhom Air Force Base in Idaho to accommodate 12 F-15 fighters purchased by Qatar and about 300 Carmi Air Force personnel.An unnamed U.S. government official revealed on 10th that the specific facilities included a warehouse and a pilot squadron combat building.
He said on the same day that the construction of new military facilities specifically for Qatari fighter jets and personnel will strengthen the level of joint training between the two countries, according to the officials, the facilities will be funded by Qatar, and local U.S. contractors will build under U.S. military supervision.
Resistance and Response
Hegseth did not mention that the U.S. government would transfer the jurisdiction of any local military base to Qatar, but his announcement that day immediately triggered a strong backlash on social media.
Lumer, who has strong influence among the conservatives of "Make America Great Again (MAGA)", posted several posts in succession, calling this move "abhorrent" and even making her not want to vote in next year's mid-term congressional elections. "No foreign country should establish a military base on U.S. soil."
Rumer acknowledged that MAGA had sent a spokesman and that although she hadn’t officially served in the Trump administration, her previous remarks had been fruitful many times. For example, several officials in the U.S. National Security Council, the National Security Agency and the Food and Drug Administration were fired after Rumer was “bombed.”
Luther was soon responded by U.S. officials.Hegerseth later on 10 on social media rumored: “Qatar will not have its own base or any kind of base in the United States.
Qatar's Embassy in the United States also stressed through social media that Qatar will not have military bases on American territory, and the cost of building military facilities will be borne by Qatar, which will create hundreds of new jobs for Americans.
routine operation
It is not uncommon for the U.S. government to build up for its allies within the U.S. military base.The U.S. military has built similar facilities for allies outside of Qatar for decades, and the Muntingham Air Force base has housed a Singapore fighter squadron.
Qatar is an important security ally of the United States. It has the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. It has recently actively participated in mediating the Gaza conflict. The Air Force One currently used by Trump was also donated by Qatar.
However, in Lumer's view, Qatar "funds terrorism". She also mentioned the incident in which a Saudi Arabian Air Force cadet killed three American soldiers and wounded eight others at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in 2019. Since then, another 21 Saudi military cadets who were identified by the United States as having extremist or anti-American tendencies or misbehaving have been repatriated.
"Why are we trying to train more Muslims how to fly planes on American soil? Haven't we learned our lesson?" Lumer wrote. (Ocean)
Source of New York.