Military review of deadliest attack on Iran by US military to be shared with families
The Army has completed its investigation into the deadly Iranian attack on U.S. troops in Kuwait earlier this year, sources told CBS News, and Gold Star families are expected to be notified Thursday of its findings.
Six Americans were killed in a March 1 strike on an operations center in the port of Shuaiba in Kuwait, one of several US-allied countries in the Persian Gulf region to face heightened Iranian missile and drone attacks after the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, starting a war with Iran. The strike was the deadliest attack on US forces in the Iran War so far.
The US Army Central and Third Army ordered a Pentagon probe “to find out the facts and circumstances” of the Iranian attack. But even before the review could proceed, a CBS News investigation began to shed light on what several survivors of the attack described as “strategic failures” before, during and after the strike.
A day after the deadly strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the Iranian drone as a “squirter” – suggesting that the drone had managed to get past the defenses of a solid unit inside Kuwait.
In April, one of the wounded soldiers told CBS News that “painting a 'crushing' picture is false. The soldier said the army was “not ready to take responsibility. It was not an enclosure.”
Many witnesses to the attack said that in the interviews there were many warnings related to force protection before the unit was moved to the Port of Shuaiba in February. The military later told CBS News that military leaders had seen intelligence indicating that Iran was targeting their position in Kuwait. Those reports sparked investigation from Senate Democrats.
“We are close to Iran, an unsafe area that is known to have been targeted,” one official told CBS News on condition of anonymity.
Asked to describe the level of reinforcement of the unit, the officer replied: “I mean, I would put it in the wrong category.
Some survivors also recounted moments of chaos in the moments after the drone struck their workplaces.
“This was a failure,” said Maj. Stephen Ramsbottom in an interview with CBS News. He said he believed Pastor Sgt. Nicole Amor could have survived her injuries if there had been a doctor, a stronger aid station or more than one ambulance at the post office.
The Pentagon has also repeatedly pushed back against claims that the Army tried to downplay the incident.
In a statement to X spokeswoman before CBS News reported on the strike, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said “every measure has been taken to protect our troops – at all levels” and that “[t]the fortified area was surrounded by 6-foot walls.”
Soldiers file complaints against military commanders
CBS News interviewed more than a dozen soldiers who were on the ground in Shuaiba, as well as the families and loved ones of those killed.
The Pentagon declined to answer questions from CBS News about the scope of the investigation, including whether any individual leader was the focus.
Multiple soldiers told CBS News they hope the investigation will include a review of the operations of Iowa-based 103rd Sustainment Command commanders, who they accuse of ordering troops to Shuaiba weeks before Operation Epic Fury, despite what the military believes are known concerns.
“I feel incredibly disappointed by the leadership of this unit,” one soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity because of strict media restrictions in the military, told CBS News.
“We knew what the targets were in advance – not just which bases but especially the locations on certain bases,” one soldier recounted. Asked if Shuaiba was on the list, the soldier said: “Yes, definitely.”
A complaint submitted by a unit member to the Army Inspector General, shared with CBS News, said the leadership “ignored” the intelligence reports and “shouted” those who questioned Shuaiba's deployment.
CBS News has reached out to the Pentagon and the 103rd Sustainment Command for comment.
