The U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 10th that it plans to build new training facilities at an Air Force base in Idaho for Qatari Air Force pilots. According to multiple U.S. media outlets reported on the 11th, this news has caused great anger among many supporters of President Trump.
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According to a report by the "Stars and Stripes" newspaper, the facility is planned to be built at the U.S. Air Force "Mountain Home" base, to provide Qatari F-15 fighter pilot training to enhance joint operational capabilities with the U.S. military. The U.S. Secretary of Defense Hagel and the Qatari embassy in the United States jointly stated that the construction costs will be borne by Qatar. Qatar emphasized that the facility will be managed by the U.S. military, and the country has never attempted to establish a military base in the United States.
Although the U.S. Department of Defense emphasized that this practice has precedent, and that the "Mountain Home" base currently already has Singapore Air Force personnel training there. However, American citizens led by Trump supporters are extremely angry about this news, even calling it "selling American sovereignty."
Trump's important supporter and well-known media personality Laura Loomer claimed that allowing Qatar to enter U.S. military facilities means "making it easier for them to murder Americans." According to the ABC News website on the 11th, this statement refers to the "2019 U.S. Navy Base shooting," when a Saudi Air Force officer training at a U.S. military base shot and killed three U.S. service members. The U.S. investigation stated that the shooter and 21 other Saudi trainees had made anti-American or terrorist-related remarks. Loomer believes that allowing Qatar to train in the United States means "forgetting the lessons."
Other conservative Americans believe that building military facilities for Qatar violates Trump's previous commitment to the "America First" principle, especially at a time when the U.S. government shutdown could lead to the U.S. military not being able to receive their pay, making this news more disappointing. Meanwhile, the "Wall Street Journal" editorial on the 10th stated that such a major arrangement should not be "suddenly released" without public discussion.
Liang Youzhi
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559918965791736354/
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