The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) recently hosted a welcome lunch reception for Brigadier General Ali M al-Kuwari, the Defense Attaché of the State of Qatar in the US, Canada, and Mexico at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC.
The event, which was attended by USQBC’s members and partners, commemorated the strong defense and security partnership between Qatar and the US.
The defense sector has been pivotal in facilitating substantial trade between the countries with Qatar spending “$25bn” in active US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) as of January 2021. In 2019 alone, Qatar spent “$6.5bn” on defense and security equipment and services with US companies accounting for two-thirds of Qatar’s defense imports.
“Qatar is a key destination for US security and defense exports,” said Mohamed Barakat, managing director of USQBC. “This event underscored the commitment by both countries to grow and expand this business area, and we look forward to more partnerships going forward,” he added.
Not only is Qatar a key export destination of US defense and security equipment, but the country also hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East. The Al Udeid Air Base hosts over 10,000 US soldiers and is the headquarters for the US Central Command, US Air Force Central Command, and the Forward Command Centre for US Special Operations. The US recently approved a $3bn expansion of Al Udeid Air Base, which further reinforces the long-term relationship between the US and Qatar.
With the expansion of the Al Udeid Air Base and the dynamic defense-related business between the US and Qatar, both countries have solidified their enduring trade and security partnership. Some of the major entities in the Qatari defense industry are Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Barzan Aeronautical, Acuity International, and General Atomics.
The event, which was attended by USQBC’s members and partners, commemorated the strong defense and security partnership between Qatar and the US.
The defense sector has been pivotal in facilitating substantial trade between the countries with Qatar spending “$25bn” in active US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) as of January 2021. In 2019 alone, Qatar spent “$6.5bn” on defense and security equipment and services with US companies accounting for two-thirds of Qatar’s defense imports.
“Qatar is a key destination for US security and defense exports,” said Mohamed Barakat, managing director of USQBC. “This event underscored the commitment by both countries to grow and expand this business area, and we look forward to more partnerships going forward,” he added.
Not only is Qatar a key export destination of US defense and security equipment, but the country also hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East. The Al Udeid Air Base hosts over 10,000 US soldiers and is the headquarters for the US Central Command, US Air Force Central Command, and the Forward Command Centre for US Special Operations. The US recently approved a $3bn expansion of Al Udeid Air Base, which further reinforces the long-term relationship between the US and Qatar.
With the expansion of the Al Udeid Air Base and the dynamic defense-related business between the US and Qatar, both countries have solidified their enduring trade and security partnership. Some of the major entities in the Qatari defense industry are Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Barzan Aeronautical, Acuity International, and General Atomics.
