President Trump visited U.S. troops at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Thursday and touted the accomplishments of the military.

“No visit to the Gulf would be complete without stopping to salute the people who keep America safe, strong and free and the patriots of the United States Army, Navy, Space Force,” Mr. Trump said.

The air base is the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. It was built in 1996 by Qatar and has been in use since September 2001 when the U.S. prepared to enter Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon.

Mr. Trump said his job as president is to make sure conflicts end, not begin, but he “will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners.”

He said Qatar is “one of our great partners.”

Mr. Trump said the “real strength of our military doesn’t come from its fighter jets, it really comes from our people.”

He talked about giving the military “substantial” pay raises, but joked they don’t have to take them “for the good of the country.”

The president said he was getting rid of “radical social experiments” from the previous administration and “restoring the strong and fierce spirit of the American warrior, the American fighter.”

He also touted military recruitment numbers, saying they’re “the best recruiting numbers that, perhaps, they’ve ever had.”

He credited it to the “incredible spirit” the country has had since he was elected.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.