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How unusual is foreign military in U.S.?

An F-16 lands at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, after what the Pentagon said was a defense counter-air, command and control, tactical intercept exercise, May 10, 2023. The brazen attempt to kill the political leaders of Hamas in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, could upend the foundations of an American-led order in the Middle East. Qatar hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East, has bought billions of dollars worth of defense systems from the United States and recently gifted a luxury Boeing jet to President Trump. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer via The New York Times) (Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/New York Times)
From staff reports
An F-16 lands at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, after what the Pentagon said was a defense counter-air, command and control, tactical intercept exercise, May 10, 2023. The brazen attempt to kill the political leaders of Hamas in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, could upend the foundations of an American-led order in the Middle East. Qatar hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East, has bought billions of dollars worth of defense systems from the United States and recently gifted a luxury Boeing jet to President Trump. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer via The New York Times) (Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/New York Times)

Having a foreign military presence inside the United States is nothing new.

Several allies have operations on U.S. soil, including at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, where Qatar is slated to have a presence. Singapore has had airmen training on F-15 fighter aircraft there since 2009 as part of the 428th Fighter Squadron under the Peace Carvin V program.

The U.S. hosts other nations’ military forces, including NATO Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB in Texas, Dutch pilots from the Royal Netherlands Air Force train on F-35s at Luke AFB in Phoenix, Arizona, which also hosts a Republic of Singapore Air Force squadron that trains on the F-16. The British Royal Air Force trains at Edwards AFB in California, and the German Armed Forces Command with a permanent administrative presence in Reston, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.

The U.S., meanwhile, has some 800 military bases in more than 80 countries, including 10,000 troops at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar.

This story has been updated to correct errors in Air Force Base locations and plane names.