Washington, DC – On May 20th, 2022, the US-Qatar Business Council hosted students from the Joaan Bin Jassim Academy for Defense Studies, a prominent military academy in Qatar, at the USQBC Head Office in Washington, DC. The College was represented by General Saleh Hamad Hadeed, Commander of the Defense College and Mr. Ali Al Rumaihi.
The students, who are enrolled in the Defense Course, received a presentation by Mohammed Barakat, Managing Director and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of USQBC, that explained the importance of the US-Qatar business and defense relationship and the crucial role played by USQBC in enhancing bilateral business ties. The students then offered Mohammed Barakat a plaque as a symbol of their appreciation for hosting the College at the USQBC Head Office.
"Cooperation between Qatar and the United States in the defense & security fields has been foundational in the continual expansion of the trade & investment relationship between the two countries,” said Mohammed Barakat, Managing Director and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of USQBC. “With Qatar recently being named a 'Major Non-NATO Ally' of the United States, the expansion of Al-Udeid Airbase, among many other collaborations, the two countries are poised for even greater cooperation and trade in these areas."
The defense sector has been pivotal in facilitating substantial trade between the countries with Qatar spending $25 billion in active US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) as of January 2021. In 2019 alone, Qatar spent $6.5 billion on defense and security equipment and services with US companies accounting for two-thirds of Qatar’s defense imports.
Not only is Qatar a key export destination of US defense and security equipment, the country also hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East. The US recently approved a $3 billion 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.