GLEN JEAN, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard welcomed the Qatar Armed Forces Military Police Forces commander and senior leaders during a Feb. 13 tour of Scouting America facilities at the Summit Bechtel Reserve as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen international partnerships and prepare for the Scouting America National Jamboree scheduled for this summer.
Maj. Gen. Rashid Al-Hajri, Qatar Armed Forces Military Police Forces commander, led a delegation to West Virginia, where they met with West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward and key leaders. During the visit, Guard leaders outlined plans to integrate Qatari and West Virginia National Guard military personnel to support large-scale event security and training missions focused on sharing best practices and operational coordination.
The engagement is part of the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program and reflects the relationship between the West Virginia National Guard and Qatar that continues to evolve through shared training and mission support.
“The relationship with West Virginia and Qatar is long standing, and I think it’s a very warm and friendly partnership,” said Seward, emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration and engagement.
Al-Hajri expressed his commitment to strengthening ties and learning alongside the West Virginia National Guard.
“We are always keen on having a strong relationship between Qatar Military Police and the West Virginia National Guard,” Al-Hajri said. “We want to increase the momentum of our long-standing relationship to benefit future joint operations.”
This is not the first time an SPP relationship has grown through the Jamboree support mission. In 2017, Soldiers from the West Virginia National Guard and the Peruvian Army took advantage of the opportunity to train together at the 2017 National Jamboree on the Summit Bechtel Reserve. The purpose of that training was to exchange tactics and procedures between U.S. military police and Peruvian officers.
The Jamboree strengthened the 20-year relationship between West Virginia and Peru through the State Partnership Program.
This summer, the Qatar Armed Forces Military Police Forces plans to provide about 40-45 personnel for the National Jamboree. They will work side-by-side with West Virginia National Guard personnel who will conduct security operations throughout the event.
The National Jamboree is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors from across the country. The Qatar Armed Forces Military Police Forces and the West Virginia National Guard will partner on mission sets such as route control, crowd management and facility security, while also providing opportunities to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures. The joint effort will provide both forces with real-world experience in large-scale event security operations and enhance their ability to operate together in future missions.
“We want to be one team,” Al-Hajri said. “We are grateful and happy to support any engagement and partnership in the future.”
The visit also highlighted Qatar’s broader role as a critical security partner in the Middle East, particularly through its support to U.S. and coalition air and missile defense operations. Qatar hosts key U.S. military infrastructure and defense capabilities that help protect regional airspace from significant threats. These capabilities – operated through combined and coordinated command structures – serve as a cornerstone of regional defense, deterring aggression and contributing to stability across the Middle East.
For West Virginia Guardsmen, many of whom have served in the Middle East alongside these air defense units, the partnership with Qatar represents more than a training opportunity – it reflects a shared commitment to regional and global security. These defense systems are owned and operated by the United States military, and their presence at Al Udeid Air Base is enabled by a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Qatar. This partnership enables coordinated command and control of air defense operations, demonstrating how allied nations work together to protect critical infrastructure, safeguard civilian populations and maintain freedom of movement in a complex security environment.
The concept of burden sharing, in which allied partners share responsibility for security operations, was a central theme throughout the visit. By training together in West Virginia and operating together abroad, both the West Virginia National Guard and the Qatar Armed Forces Military Police Forces build interoperability, trust and readiness for future deployments.
For West Virginia, the partnership with Qatar also brings tangible benefits at home. Joint training events at the Summit Bechtel Reserve enhance the West Virginia National Guard's readiness, bring international collaboration to the state and reinforce West Virginia’s role as a key contributor to national defense and global partnerships.
As preparations continue for the National Jamboree and future joint operations, leaders from both forces expressed confidence that the relationship will continue to grow, strengthening security, supporting shared missions and building lasting ties between the people of Qatar and West Virginia.
“We are grateful for this partnership and for the opportunity to work side by side,” Al-Hajri said. “Together, we strengthen our forces and contribute to stability both at home and abroad.”