CBS: US troops dispute Pentagon account of deadly drone strike in Kuwait

Survivors of a deadly Iranian drone strike on a U.S. military logistics unit in Kuwait have disputed the Pentagon’s account of the incident, saying the position was poorly defended and “unprepared” when the attack killed six service members and injured more than 20 others on March 1.

Speaking to CBS News, members of the targeted unit described a sharply different picture from official briefings, challenging remarks by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who characterised the incident as a case of a drone that “squirter[ed]” through layered defences and struck a fortified tactical operations centre.

One injured soldier rejected that description outright, saying: "Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," and adding: "I want people to know the unit … was unprepared to provide any defence for itself. It was not a fortified position."

The attack hit a small U.S. outpost at the Port of Shuaiba, south of Kuwait City, where around 60 troops from the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command had been managing logistics for operations across the Middle East. Survivors said the facility consisted largely of temporary structures and limited blast barriers, which they argued offered little protection against aerial threats.

One soldier described the environment bluntly, saying there was “none” in terms of drone defence capability, and adding: "From a bunker standpoint, that's about as weak as one gets."

According to accounts from the unit, incoming missile alerts earlier that morning had forced troops into a bunker before an “all-clear” allowed them to return to work. Roughly 30 minutes later, a drone strike hit the centre of the compound.

“Everything shook,” one survivor 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."

The blast caused severe injuries, including shrapnel wounds, burns, and head trauma. Another soldier described the aftermath as overwhelming, saying, "It was chaos," and noting that troops were forced to triage themselves and evacuate the wounded using civilian vehicles to nearby hospitals.

Assistant Secretary of Defence Sean Parnell said in response to earlier reporting that "every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops — at every level" and that "[t]he secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls."

However, survivors insisted the positioning of the unit placed them within known threat range and raised questions about operational decisions. One soldier said they had seen intelligence suggesting the site was a potential target, adding: "We moved closer to Iran, to a deeply unsafe area that was a known target."

Despite their criticism, several survivors emphasised respect for fallen colleagues and leadership decisions made under wartime conditions. One said: "Telling the truth is important," while also stressing pride in those who responded during the attack and concern for lessons to be learned from the incident.

Photo obtained by CBS News shows damage from the Iranian drone attack that killed six U.S. service members in Kuwait on March 1, 2026.