US Trains Qatari F-15 Pilots As Region Burns
The Pentagon announced that Qatari F-15 fighter jet pilots will train at a US base in Idaho, a routine transaction presented by Al-Monitor as a simple defense partnership. What's omitted, of course, is the $12 billion F-15QA sale from 2017 to Qatar and the cozy $450 million for phase one of upgrades to Al Udeid Air Base in 2021—all greenlit by various administrations. It's almost as if the U.S.
strategy isn't peace, but rather a perpetual arms bazaar, generating handsome profits for defense contractors. One might wonder if these 'trainings' are truly about collective security or merely a well-oiled machine ensuring continued dependence—and influence. After all, what better way to ensure diplomatic leverage than to be the sole supplier of spare parts and skilled trainers for multi-billion
dollar weapons systems? Peace is good for people; war is great for Raytheon's stock price.