Days prior to the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran, the Pentagon evacuated most personnel from the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Their exit came after a quarter-century presence that began after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Qatar’s willingness to invest billions of dollars in the base to host Americans led the Pentagon within just a few years to transfer most of its forces from Saudi Arabia into Qatar. For Doha, the price was worth it. Not only did the presence of the Americans bring prestige, but Qatar also used the American presence as a get-out-of-jail-free card to escape accountability for its cultivation of extremist and terrorist groups across the region.

Across administrations, the Pentagon embraced such basing offers, often putting its own bureaucratic interests above broader U.S. national security. Successive defense secretaries would embrace a base, especially one for whose lease they need not pay, without consideration of the host country’s motivation. They would then counsel against responding to that country’s provocations, lest the ability to use a “free” base be put in jeopardy.