Survivors of a deadly Iranian drone strike in Kuwait are pushing back hard against the Pentagon’s version of events. They are saying the narrative coming out of Washington doesn’t match what they lived through on the ground.
In interviews with CBS News, members of the targeted US Army unit have described the Mar. 1 strike that killed six service members and injured more than 20. They claim the unit was “dangerously exposed” and lacked defenses.
But War Secretary Pete Hegseth contradicts those statements. He said a single drone had slipped through layers of protection and that it was a “squirter,” a term used for penetrated a fortified position. Survivors are saying the framing of the strike is wrong.
One injured soldier told CBS:
“Painting a picture that ‘one squeaked through’ is a falsehood. It was not a fortified position.”
MAJOR BREAKING: An Iranian drone strike on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait has injured 15 Americans.
Additionally, a staggering 373 American service members have been injured in Trump’s idiotic Iran operation, according to a US Central Command spokesperson. pic.twitter.com/xcDGtVWpry
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 6, 2026
The attack took place at Port of Shuaiba, which is a Kuwaiti military facility that soldiers say is outdated and poorly equipped for the realities of drone warfare. While the site had some blast walls designed to deflect rockets or mortars, troops said it offered virtually no protection from aerial attacks.
“It’s just kind of a classic, older military base,” one soldier said. “From a drone defense capability … none.”
Before the strike, though, many U.S. forces in Kuwait had been repositioned farther from Iran’s reach. Troops were reportedly told to “get off the X,” which is military code for leaving a target zone, but this unit was not given any such instruction. Instead, members of the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command were moved closer to the potential blast zone that one soldier described as a “deeply unsafe area that was a known target.” Some also said intelligence had already flagged the location as a possible Iranian strike site.
Officials have not publicly provided an explanation for the decision to keep troops at the location.
US Air Force losses since start of Iran war
Estimate: Total losses exceed $2 billion, and replacement costs could be even higher.
Aircraft
🔴4 × F-15E Strike Eagle: 1 lost over Iran, 3 downed by friendly fire over Kuwait
🔴1 × A-10 Warthog: shot down during CSAR operation
🔴1… pic.twitter.com/59n8ool9Bl
— Gaurav Dwivedi (@gauravkrdwivedi) April 4, 2026
Missile alarms sounded on the morning of Mar. 1, and troops took cover. But after an all-clear was issued, they returned to their routine work inside a makeshift structure of wood and tin. The drone hit roughly 30 minutes later, a soldier said.
“Everything shook. Your ears are ringing. Everything’s fuzzy. There’s dust and smoke everywhere.”
Then came the shrapnel wounds, severe bleeding, ruptured eardrums, and no organized medical response was in place. Soldiers had to use makeshift tourniquets and bandages or commandeered civilian vehicles to rush the wounded to nearby hospitals.
“It was chaos,” another survivor said. “You’re on one side of the fire or the other.” This strike was, by now, the deadliest attack on U.S. forces since 2021 and made the growing threat of low-cost, high-impact drone systems from Iran very clear.
BREAKING: IRAN RELEASES PHOTO OF US CHINOOK HELICOPTER DESTROYED BY A DRONE STRIKE ON A BASE KUWAIT pic.twitter.com/dIqX86hMrV
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) April 4, 2026
The Pentagon has not addressed the troops’ claims as part of an ongoing investigation.
However, Assistant War Secretary Sean Parnell said “every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops,” and added that the facility was protected by six-foot walls. Survivors, on the other hand, say that those measures were not enough for the threat they faced.
The soldiers who spoke out also said that they don’t wish to undermine the military or the sacrifice of those killed. Instead, they want accountability: “We’re not going to learn from these mistakes if we pretend these mistakes didn’t happen.”
Analysts have said Iran has increasingly relied on drones, similar to tactics observed in conflicts such as Ukraine, where cheaper unmanned systems have helped with combat. At the same time, the U.S. military is investing in AI-powered battlefield assistants to improve real-time decision-making.
For the soldiers at Port of Shuaiba, though, the strike was “absolutely” preventable.
