2007 Patriot Missile Misfire Landed in Qatar Military Chief’s Backyard

A Patriot missile is launched. (Photo by James D. Mossman/ US Air Force)

A Patriot missile is launched. (Photo by James D. Mossman/ US Air Force)

A US Patriot missile that accidentally fired during a 2007 training exercise in Qatar landed several miles away in the backyard of the Middle Eastern nation’s top military officer, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ new book reveals.

At the time, numerous reports simply stated that the missile had landed on a farm. Gates’ book, “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War,” revealed that the missile actually landed on the estate of Qatar’s chief of defense, a general who would open his compound to US troops for recreational purposes.

“How the hell does a Patriot missile just go off?” Gates recalls rudely asking his staff at the time.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Marcus Weisgerber
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Marcus Weisgerber

Senior Pentagon Correspondent at Defense News
I write about broad-ranging policy, acquisition and budget issues affecting the US military.
Marcus Weisgerber
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