Al Udeid Air Base Al Udeid Air Base ( Arabic : قاعدة العديد الجوية ) is a military base west of Doha , Qatar , also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport ( Arabic : مطار أبو نخلة ) . It houses foreign coalition personnel and assets . It is host to a forward headquarters of United States Central Command , headquarters of United States Air Forces Central , No . 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF , and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF . In 1999 , the Emir of Qatar , Sheikh Hamad , reportedly told US officials that he would like to see as many as 10 , 000 US servicemen permanently stationed at Al Udeid . History . Following joint military operations during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 , Qatar and the United States concluded a Defense Cooperation Agreement that has been subsequently expanded . In April 2003 , the U . S . Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East moved from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to Qatar ’ s Al Udeid Air Base south of Doha , the Qatari capital . Al Udeid and other facilities in Qatar serve as logistics , command , and basing hubs for the U . S . Central Command ( CENTCOM ) area of operations , including Iraq and Afghanistan . In spite of serving as the host to a large U . S . military presence and supporting U . S . regional initiatives , Qatar has remained mostly secure from terrorist attacks . Terrorist statements indicate that energy infrastructure and U . S . military facilities in Qatar remain potential targets . U . S . officials have described Qatar ’ s counterterrorism cooperation since the September 11 attacks as significant ; however , some observers have raised questions about possible support for Al Qaeda by some Qatari citizens , including members of Qatar ’ s large ruling family . Australian Operations . As part of Australia ' s contribution to coalition forces in the 2003 invasion of Iraq , fourteen F / A - 18 Hornet fighters from No . 75 Squadron RAAF were based at Al Udeid , along with two P - 3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and three C - 130 Hercules military transport aircraft . During the early phases of the war , the Hornets flew long missions escorting and protecting coalition AWACS Early warning aircraft and tanker aircraft used for air - to - air refuelling . Later , when the threat to aircraft was reduced , the Hornets switched to the ground attack and combat support roles and were used to attack Iraqi ground forces with laser - guided bomb s . The Orions flew long endurance missions over the Persian Gulf tracking vessels , curbing smuggling and guarding against the threat posed by suicide boats . The deployed Hercules flew supplies and equipment into Iraq , and later flew some of the first humanitarian aid into Baghdad . The fourteen Royal Australian Air Force Hornets flew over 670 sortie s during the war , including 350 combat sorties over Iraq . U . S . Military Cooperation and Foreign Assistance . With its small territory and narrow population base , Qatar relies to a large degree on external cooperation and support for its security . With a personnel strength of 11 , 800 , Qatar ’ s armed forces are the second - smallest in the Middle East . France has provided approximately 80 % of Qatar ’ s arms inventory . Since the 1991 Gulf war , Qatar has pursued a limited program of force modernization . To date , however , it has not purchased significant U . S . weapons systems , although the Qatari government may be considering the purchase of U . S . air and missile defense systems in line with regional trends . The U . S . military has deployed Patriot anti - ballistic missile defense systems to some publicly unnamed Gulf countries , ostensibly to defend against potential missile attacks from Iran . Qatar invested over $ US 1 billion to construct the Al Udeid air base south of Doha during the 1990s ; it did not have an air force of its own at the time . The United States Army Corps of Engineers also awarded over $ 100 million in Military Construction Air Force ( MCAF ) contracts for the construction of U . S . storage , housing , service , command , and communication facilities . Qatar ’ s financing and construction of some of the state - of - the - art air force base at Al Udeid and its granting of permission for the construction of U . S . - funded facilities helped deepen cooperation with U . S . military forces . The Al Udeid Air Base now serves as a logistics , command , and basing hub for U . S . operations in Afghanistan and Iraq . Nearby Camp As Sayliyah houses significant U . S . military equipment prepositioning and command facilities for the CENTCOM area of operations . Both Qatar and the United States have invested in the construction and expansion of these facilities since the mid - 1990s , and they form the main hub of the CENTCOM air and ground logistical network in the area of responsibility . As a result of ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan , U . S . and partner nation facilities in Qatar and elsewhere have received higher use in recent years and may require further investment to meet current and potential future needs . U . S . Congress Appropriations and Authorizations . From FY2003 to FY2007 , Congress authorized and appropriated $ 126 million for U . S . military construction activities in Qatar . The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 ( P . L . 110 - 181 ) authorized $ 81 . 7 million in FY2008 spending to build new Air Force and Special Operations facilities in Qatar . The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 ( P . L . 110 - 417 ) authorizes $ 69 . 6 million in FY2009 spending to build new Air Force and Special Operations facilities . The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 ( P . L . 111 - 84 ) authorizes $ 117 million in FY2010 spending to build new Air Force recreational , dormitory , and other facilities at Al Udeid . The Administration ’ s FY2011 military construction request for Qatar was $ 64 . 3 million , for Air Force facilities and a National Security Agency warehouse . The FY2012 request includes $ 37 million to continue the dormitory and recreation facility project .