Democratic senators press Hegseth on troop protections after fatal Kuwait drone strike
Four Democratic senators are pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether the Pentagon took adequate steps to protect U.S. troops in the Iran war, citing a March 1 drone strike at Kuwait’s Shuaiba Port that killed six soldiers and injured 20 others. In a letter sent this weekend, Sens.
Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Blumenthal and Mark Kelly said the department failed to take “even basic precautions” to safeguard U.S. service members after the president initiated the mission dubbed Operation Epic Fury. The war began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed a number of top leaders, the letter noted.
“The safety and well-being of our service members should be a top priority for DoD leadership,” the senators wrote, adding that such planning should anticipate foreseeable retaliation, including drone strikes. The lawmakers pointed to a drone attack that hit a military post at Shuaiba Port without warning or sirens to alert troops, according to the letter, which cited a CNN report.
After the strike, soldiers treated wounds with makeshift bandages, braces and tourniquets and used civilian vehicles to transport the injured to Kuwaiti hospitals, the letter said. While steel-reinforced concrete barriers were in place to protect against mortar blasts, rockets and car bombs, the senators wrote there were no defenses at Shuaiba capable of bringing down incoming drones or other munitions.
One survivor told CBS News the fortification against drone attacks fell into the “none category,” and others said the unit was unprepared to defend itself. Hegseth has described the Iranian drone that hit the post as “powerful” and suggested the strike was an outlier that penetrated existing defenses.
“We have incredible air defenders. Every once in a while you might have one… that makes its way through,” he said at a March 2 press conference. “In that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons.” Pentagon officials declined to comment on the senators’ letter, saying they typically respond directly to congressional correspondence.
U.S. defense officials have said precautions were taken ahead of expected Iranian retaliation, including changes to force posture and defensive measures at U.S. bases. The senators also cited a NOTUS report stating that the military did not provide warnings of an imminent attack to American-flagged vessels in the Persian Gulf.
President Donald Trump has pointed to the relatively limited number of U.S. casualties as evidence that the operation has been effective. Iranian retaliation following the launch of Epic Fury prompted one of the largest evacuations of American civilians in history.
Hundreds of U.S. military families stationed in Bahrain were not cleared to leave until after the first strikes hit Iran, by which time airspace had closed and Iranian strikes were incoming; many waited several days to depart via land routes as drones and missiles struck Naval Support Activity Bahrain and surrounding areas.
The senators’ letter underscores ongoing scrutiny of force protection measures during the conflict. Pentagon officials indicated any response would be sent directly to Congress.