American service members who survived a deadly Iranian drone strike in Kuwait are disputing the Pentagon’s account of the attack, saying their unit was “unprepared to provide any defense for itself.”
The March 1 strike on a U.S. tactical operations center at Port Shuaiba killed six service members and wounded more than 20, marking the deadliest attack on U.S. forces since the conflict began.
In interviews, survivors pushed back on War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier characterization of the strike as a rare breach of otherwise effective defenses at a fortified site.
Instead, troops on the ground described a far more vulnerable position. They said the unit was “dangerously exposed,” lacked meaningful air defenses, and did not have the protections publicly described by officials.
“Painting a picture that ‘one squeaked through’ is a falsehood,” one survivor said.
Another added that the unit “was unprepared to provide any defense for itself.”
The service members agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, citing strict military rules governing interactions with the media.
Hegseth had previously described the incident as a case in which a single drone — sometimes referred to as a “squirter” — slipped through layered defenses and struck a fortified operations center.
Pentagon officials have also maintained the site was equipped with protective barriers, including T-walls and standard defensive measures for a tactical facility.
Survivors, however, said that description does not match conditions on the ground.
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According to those present, the operations center consisted of “tin buildings” or trailer-style structures. The barriers in place were designed for ground-level blasts, not aerial threats, and there was no dedicated drone defense system.
As CBS News reports:
In the hours before the attack, incoming missile alarms had signaled to a crew of about 60 troops to take cover in a cement bunker while a ballistic missile flew overhead. But around 9:15 a.m., an all-clear alert sounded. Officers removed their helmets and returned to their desks in the wood and tin workspace, about the width of three trailers.
From there they resumed managing the movement of equipment, munitions and personnel across the Middle East.
About 30 minutes later, “everything shook,” one soldier told CBS News. “And it’s something like what you see in the movies. Your ears are ringing. Everything’s fuzzy. Your vision is blurry. You’re dizzy. There’s dust and smoke everywhere.”
Dazed, the service member surveyed a grisly scene: “Head wounds, heavy bleeding, lots of perforated eardrums, and then just shrapnel all over, so folks are bleeding from their abdomen, bleeding from arms, bleeding from legs.”
Soldiers reportedly conducted improvised triage, with some casualties transported using non-military vehicles.
Some service members said the location had already been identified as a potential Iranian target prior to the attack, raising questions about why additional protections were not implemented.
“In my opinion, absolutely, yes,” one soldier said when asked whether the attack could have been prevented.
Hegseth’s recounting of the incident, delivered during a press conference in Washington, prompted concern among some who were directly involved. Those individuals said the description did not fully reflect what they experienced on the ground.
At the same time, they emphasized that their concerns were not intended as an attack on the mission or military leadership. “It’s not my intent to diminish morale or to disparage the Army or the Department of War more holistically,” one soldier said. “But I do think that telling the truth is important and we’re not going to learn from these mistakes if we pretend these mistakes didn’t happen.”
The Pentagon has declined further comment on the conflicting accounts, citing an ongoing investigation.
The dispute highlights broader concerns about whether U.S. frontline and adjacent units are adequately prepared for drone warfare, as well as how accurately military leadership is portraying battlefield conditions.
It also underscores the growing role of low-cost drone attacks in modern conflict and the risks they pose even to established military positions.
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