Here's the timeline, with docs, news articles, etc: bsky.app/profile/just...

Debian reigns supreme in stability. Driver support is solid but with the stability they sometimes lag behind supporting the newest hardware. The 'backports' repo can be helpful here if you need to pull in a newer kernel than what they ship with in 'stable.'

Some days I wish racoons were domesticated.

The training on US soil has been part of the plan, like it generally is when we sell weapons to other countries, since the Nov 2016 State Department notification to Congress.

For once the Trump admin is actually just being normal and following conventions.

Given the jet purchases were made in 2017 and 2023, no, that's not true.

People are trying really hard not to see reality on this one, aren't they?

Qatar gives us money for the planes and training. We decide which base to train them at, tell them to build some extra buildings to house all their gear, then tell them how to fly their planes. Why would that be illegal? This deal started 9 years ago.

Singapore does the same thing on the same base.

We do this all the time. Singapore already has more people on that base doing similar training than Qatar will. Germany, Netherlands, UK, Ukraine, and more all have little detachments training on US bases.

There will be 3200 USAF on base with 170 Qatari.

Cool. Yeah, Uh... the Obama admin began the sale of the planes (with training on US soil) to Qatar. The actual location was picked in the Biden admin. Boeing just delivered the last of their planes to Qatar so we can get on with something 9 years in the making.

Well they also had to pay $12bln for the initial planes in a completely open deal, exactly like we do with other countries, that began in the Obama admin and has progressed normally through every admin after that.

I think they're at $21bln paid to us at this point.

This has been in motion since Nov 2016. What's happening is actually pretty normal but people have this idea that Qatar is getting a whole ass air force base to themselves and that's just not what's happening.

Hegseth didn't say base. He said facilities. The military terms it a "beddown" -- a place to put your people and stuff. Qatar is paying to slightly expand the storage buildings, parking, add in a test stand, lightning rod, upgrade the roads, to make room for themselves while training.

No, because Obama proposed selling them planes, parts, and training (on US soil), approved under Trump, location picked under Biden, planes delivered by Boeing April 2025, now they begin construction on storage facilities and such for their gear on an airbase run by the US.

All very normal.

Sure, or maybe it's because Qatar is putting 12 planes in the US, ordered 12 more for this in Oct 2023, and Boeing completed delivery in April 2025.

I don't think they'll ever get to that level of spend and they are the only AI company I'm almost 100% certain will just poof out of existence one day.

... back from the 2022 selection process. The military terms it a "beddown" and not "facilities" where beddown basically means place to put your people and stuff.

It's still $100's of millions, but they don't even get their own airstrip. US runs everything.

No change, actually. Part of training on base means having a place for your people and gear. So, construction has to be done, at their cost, for storage buildings, parking areas, fuel station, a lightning rod. Like, these are the actual things in the published plan on the base's website right now...

They're not getting a whole-ass airbase. They're tossing up some storage buildings and misc stuff to give themselves room for their gear. This is all very normal.
bsky.app/profile/just...

... a very capable fighter jet over in the Middle East. I don't have any real opinion on the merits of the final outcome, but given this originated under Obama in Nov 2016 and nobody's seen a reason to stop it until 24 hours ago, I'm leaning toward Qatar having the jets isn't a problem.

There not getting an air force base. They're training at ours. Like we do for other nations. Singapore being one doing it at the same base.

They'll rotate pilots through here for the stuff you can't do in Qatari air space. That gives the US a friendly nation with skilled pilots at the yoke of...

They aren't getting their own base. The 170 Qataris will join the 200 Singaporeans that have also been training there since 2009. Alongside the US force of 3200.

Qatar's construction here consists of, essentially, storage, parking, a fuel depot, lightning rod...

Not a whole airbase.

The sale of the jets and training was from the Obama admin. Approved under trump in 2017. The actual base they'd train at was picked in 2022 during the Biden admin. All very public and in the open. Now they're going to build the storage units and stuff that Qatar needs. Not a whole airbase.

This is the most legal thing he's done so far. It's like the one norm he hasn't fucked up.

Original deal was submitted to Congress by Obama admin, Nov 2016. Finalized in Jun 2017 by Trump. Site selection made in 2022 by Biden. We already have Singapore training at that air base with us.

Proposed by the Obama admin's state department (Nov 2016), finalized under Trump (June 2017), location selected under Biden (Jan 2022).

People gonna people. Sadly.