By Kevin Fixler, The Idaho Statesman

BOISE, Idaho — Word about a new facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base to train Qatari fighter pilots spread rapidly when it was teased a week ago, but details of the sudden U.S. Defense Department deal have remained limited.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement took many by surprise , including Idaho’s governor and federal lawmakers who weren’t informed ahead of time. And it was criticized across the political spectrum, with a number of prominent right-wing Republicans questioning what came off as the U.S. permitting the Middle East nation to establish an air base in Idaho.

“To my knowledge, none of us had a heads-up on this,” Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, told KIDO radio this week. “So I know a little bit, I don’t know a lot. But I c

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