Air Force unimpeded by Qatar tensions

The ongoing feud between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors has heightened tensions between it and the United States. But those tensions have not impeded operations of U.S. Air Force programs and personnel – including Fairchild aircraft and airmen – located in Qatar, according to an Air Force spokesman.

Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base houses the largest concentration of U.S. military personnel in the Middle East. The site is home to the forward headquarters of the US Air Force Central Command, Combined Air and Space Operations Center and the 379th Air Expedition Wing.

Citing alleged links between Qatar and terrorist factions in the region, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain launched an economic and diplomatic embargo of the country in early June. The United States has since dialed back early support of the emgargo, expressing frustration and encouraging mediation between the countries.

The U.S. Air Force, including Fairchild Aircraft and airmen, continues to conduct missions in support of ongoing operations in the Middle East, Afghanistan and the U.S. Central Command theater of operations, wrote Col. Christopher Karns, director of Air Mobility Command Public Affairs, in an email.

“Fairchild Airmen and KC-135 (aircraft) continue to make a significant contribution to the fight against ISIS,” he wrote.