MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher has reached out to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, expressing his disappointment about being left out of discussions regarding a new Qatar Emiri Air Force facility coming to Mountain Home Air Force Base.
In a letter to state lawmakers, Fulcher stated that he requested a briefing on the partnership after learning about it through an announcement made on October 10. The congressman detailed his concerns further during a phone town hall on Tuesday.
"Frankly, I was not aware of, and I don't think our delegation was aware of either, that it progressed to that point where there'd been a tentative agreement to make that happen," Fulcher said.
WATCH: Idaho Congressman reacts to the Oct. 10 Middle East military partnership announcement
According to Fulcher, Qatar will station 12 F-15s at the base for 10 years and will fund the operations themselves.
"This is all at their expense, so in terms of the expenditures, that's not coming out of US taxpayers," Fulcher said.
During the town hall, one caller expressed concern about training Qatari pilots in the U.S.
"I object to them being trained, first of all, in combat missions. I think Israel knows best who their enemies are, and I believe Qatar is one of them," the caller said.
Fulcher acknowledged sharing similar concerns about Qatar's alignment with American interests.
"Qatar has not always been aligned with American interests,” Fulcher said. “But frankly, like you, I've got concerns about it too, so I've reached out to our Secretary of War, Secretary Hegseth, and requested some further input."
Idaho News 6 submitted a question to learn what exactly those concerns are, but that question was not selected at the hour long town hall. Idaho News 6 also asked for clarification on if the deal is finalized.
Despite the criticism, Fulcher pointed to other successful international training partnerships as precedents, including NATO facilities in Texas, Netherlands in Arizona, Germany in Virginia, UK in California, and Singapore's existing presence at Mountain Home.
The plan, as it currently stands, would host 120 Qatari Emiri Air Force members at Mountain Home, joined by 150 contractors who would train with U.S. forces, according to Fulcher.
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