Hegseth Slammed By Critics For 'Clarification' On Qatar Deal: 'That's Not What You Said'

[Abnredleg]

23. No - he has consistently talked of a "facility" in both messages

He had to clarify his meaning because “facility” got distorted into “base”, which has a very different meaning. In the military, for instance, people eat at the Dining Facility (DFAC) located on a base. A foreign base on US soil would huge deal; a facility is a routine training arrangement. This arrangement to build a training facility for Qatar was based on previous agreements to build training facilities for other nations, and those who follow military procurement immediately understood the original statement for what it was. The only reason he had to clarify is that people misinterpreted what was being announced and started running around with their hair on fire. Hegseth is totally incompetent but his only mistake was underestimating the public’s knowledge of just often foreign militaries train in the US.