Because it is a small country in terms of both geographic and population, Qatar has typically not felt pressed to field a large military. However, because Qatar is located in a volatile region, the Qatari government has felt it politic to maintain a military capable of mounting a reasonable deterrent, at least to stave off potential trouble until its alliances can be leveraged. As a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar can call upon military assistance from member states as part of the GCC's collective security agreements, though recent tension with fellow GCC members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE lessen the reliability of this security guarantee. Qatar has historically bought major arms packages from France and the U.K., although the U.S. has made inroads into the Qatari market since 2005. The sale of U.S. armaments or provision of military services to Qatar is invariably part of the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two nations. The government has subsequently developed a very close relationship with the United States. The two nations currently have a defense pact with one another and recently strengthened their relations with the signing of a Defense Cooperation Agreement in December 2013 that covers 10 years of interaction between U.S. and Qatari forces. In addition, Qatar hosts the U.S. military's CENTCOM Forward Headquarters, and the U.S. military plans to maintain a significant presence in Qatar for the foreseeable future. Qatar also has defense pacts with France and the United Kingdom.
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