Despite enabling terrorist groups, Qatar is poised to purchase nearly $2 billion worth of American arms. The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale on March 26 under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, which allows the U.S. government to “sell defense articles and services to foreign countries and international organizations.” The potential package for Qatar includes eight MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft. If the sale is completed, Qatar will be the first country in the region to purchase these advanced drones, which possess an advanced suite of sensors and can employ a variety of munitions.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which administers the FMS program, the goal of foreign military sales is to “strengthen the security of the U.S. and promote world peace.” By that definition, Qatar should not be considered an eligible participant. Qatar has long provided political and financial support to radical Islamist groups, including Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood, and is now seeking to deepen security cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Qatar Maintains a Strong Defense Partnership With the U.S.
Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. base in the Middle East. Located southwest of Doha, Al Udeid hosts approximately 10,000 U.S. troops and is the site of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters, positioning Al Udeid as a critical hub for U.S. air operations, logistics, and command and control in the region. The base has played a significant role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the ongoing U.S.-led coalition effort to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Qatar began constructing Al Udeid after Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and has “contributed more than $8 billion in developing” the base since 2003. In January 2024, the Biden administration reached an agreement to extend the U.S. military presence at Al Udeid for 10 years.
The latest $2 billion arms package is also far from being Qatar’s first foray into FMS waters. According to the State Department, Qatar is the U.S. government’s second-largest FMS partner, with over $26 billion in active government-to-government cases.
Qatar Hosts Hamas and Taliban as well as U.S. Troops
Hamas opened a political office in Doha in 2012. The next year, the Afghan Taliban followed suit. Qatar maintains that both offices allow Doha to facilitate diplomacy in the region. In 2023, Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani argued in The Wall Street Journal that Hamas established its Doha office following “a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas.” However, a former Obama White House official later said there was no request from Washington, though that administration did not oppose the move either.
As Qatar liaises with Hamas and the Taliban — and now, the former al-Qaeda operatives ruling Syria — the emirate remains a funder of Islamist movements and a permissive jurisdiction for private funders of terror. Israel’s Shin Bet security agency published a summary of its investigations into its failures leading up to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which identified “the flow of money from Qatar to Gaza” as one of the reasons why Hamas was able to build up its forces.
No Rewards for Sponsors of Terror
Given Qatar’s record, the $2 billion FMS package that the State Department approved should raise eyebrows. Until Qatar takes steps to crack down on Islamist groups and close off its financial environment to terror financiers, business with Doha should not continue as usual. As Gaza ceasefire talks waver, the Trump administration can leverage FMS to compel Qatar to pressure its Hamas clients to release the remaining hostages and sever all political and financial ties to the Palestinian terrorist group. The administration should also consider replicating elsewhere in the region some of the capabilities and functions at Al Udeid Air Base.
Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribeHERE. Follow Natalie on X@NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X@FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.
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Gulf States U.S. Defense Policy and Strategy