Qatari Special Forces raided an enemy-held oil platform, rescued hostages on a passenger jet, stormed a metro train and cleared city streets.
These crisis simulations were part of Invincible Sentry 2025, a counterterrorism exercise in which special operations troops from Qatar and the United States proved once again they could operate together as partners to strengthen regional security.
Qatar hosted Invincible Sentry from April 13 to 17, 2025, the third time in six years it has invited U.S. forces to participate in the combined military exercise. The previous iteration, in 2021, focused on securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar.
“Invincible Sentry 25 was developed and planned over the past year to integrate all agencies within Qatari Special Operations Forces, the Emiri Guard and Internal Security Forces to train across land, air and sea domains with U.S. partners,” U.S. Army Col. Lee Breard, the U.S. exercise director of Invincible Sentry 25, said in April 2025.
“We activated a combined Joint Operations Center to manage response operations on a 24-hour basis, effectively training U.S. and Qatari staff officers on critical command and control functions.”
Troops operated under a counterterrorism scenario in which a terrorist cell had infiltrated Qatar with biological agents they planned to weaponize against Qatari and U.S. installations. The mission included stopping the attacks and capturing the lead scientist tasked with assembling and activating the biological weapons.
Two days of classes prepared participants for their exercise duties. Aside from engagements in the field, military personnel staffed the Combined Joint Operations Center on Qatar’s recently opened 401 Training Compound. The compound contains a mock village and the shell of an Airbus 300 passenger jet in which troops can train.
U.S. Marines attached to U.S. Central Command’s Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team conducted training with Qatari forces on riot control and live firing. U.S. Army troops from Task Force Spartan’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) command and scientists with U.S. Army’s CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity offered classes to Qatari service members.
Once the actual scenario was launched, U.S. special operations forces personnel from 5th Special Forces Group and Qatari Joint Special Forces conducted raids to frustrate the terrorists’ lethal plans.
“It was a big success,” said Qatar Joint Special Forces Maj. Nasser Arabyat, lead Qatari planner for Invincible Sentry. “The American team saw how Qatari Special Forces work, and we built trust between forces. The scenario was well prepared — it was logical, applicable and understandable regarding threats in the region. Interoperability is very important. We brought together two countries, two units, two cultures and came together to share information and successfully work together.”
Among the exercise missions was a raid on a suspected biological weapons lab. Intelligence gathered at the site allowed troops to pursue the remaining members of the terrorist cells, but not before they required decontamination from exposure to possible harmful agents.
The culmination of Invincible Sentry was a joint Qatari-U.S. raid at dawn to capture the scientist who was supposed to activate the biological weapons. The show of force occurred at the Brouq Training Center on Qatar’s west coast.
Distinguished visitors, including Qatari Brig. Gen. Fhaid Rashid Al Marri, chairman of the Training Authority, observed the completion of the mission at Brouq. Senior officers noted that the exercise demonstrated the value of military-to-military engagements between partner nation forces. By building trust and integrating capabilities, Qatari and U.S. troops improved team performance.
“The lessons learned and partnerships created during this exercise will be acknowledged years into the future,” Col. Breard said. “The United States’ shared success in Invincible Sentry 25 with our brotherly partner, Qatar, expanded interoperability and integrated deterrence in the Gulf region.”