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With two 12,000-foot runways spread across the Qatar Desert, Al-Udeid is the largest and undoubtedly the most important US military facility in the Middle East.
After the Iranian attack, satellite images showed the US relocating dozens of aircraft from bases before it was targeted by Iran’s missile barrage last week. Approximately 40 US aircraft disappeared, and by June 19th the base’s fleet had reduced to just three.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said all missiles fired at the base had been “successfully intercepted.”
Al Udeid has a US Central Command Combined Aviation Operations Center. This is the Nerve for Air Power Center across Centcom’s area of responsibility, ranging from Egypt to Central Asia. It is also the operational headquarters of the Royal Air Force in the Gulf region.
From the base, US, UK and other allied officers have been running a coordinated air campaign in Iraq and Syria, where drones attack in Yemen and logistics support for operations in Afghanistan.
The US aircraft involved in the strike against Iran’s nuclear targets on Sunday were not using the facility. Qatar previously said that the US would not allow it to use its base to attack Iran, a neighbour who had traditionally had good ties to it.
Last month, President Donald Trump at Aludade Air Force Base ©Alex Brandon/AP
Built with Qatar fundraising in 1996 and expanded after the US attack on September 11, 2001, the base hosts more than 10,000 US employees and a revolving cast of coalition partners.
Aludade, which is about 12 square miles in size, also boasts Patriot anti-missile interceptors, hardened aircraft shelters and extensive fuel storage facilities. It regularly hosts surveillance aircraft such as the B-52 bomber, the F-15 Eagle Fighter Jet, the KC-135 refueling tanker, and the RC-135 rivet joint. During the war on terrorism, it served as a launch pad for daily strikes and supply sorties throughout the region.
Al Udeid is an air hub, but the main US naval presence in the Gulf is based in Manama, near Bahrain, home to the US fifth fleet. Together, the two form complementary architecture: naval control in the Strait of Hormuz and rapid air logistics and strike capabilities from Qatar.
Bahrain confirmed a temporary airspace suspension on Monday as a precautionary measure.
Al Udeid’s long-term position remains sensitive, and the base has become an unsettling symbol of American leverage in the region and the dependence of the Gulf monarchy on the US troops for their security.
US lawmakers used negotiations on expanding base leases as an opportunity to demand a tougher Qatari stance on Hamas, Iranian agents and terrorist financing.
Reports say Qatar, a small country with vulnerabilities to large neighbours, has stabilized the US presence and spent more than $1 billion on infrastructure upgrades.
However, Qatar’s role has been a sensitive issue since the regional hostilities intensified in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In 2024 Qatari officials said Al-Udeid was not useful as a launching base for local or external strikes, fearing blowbacks.
