Army Survivors Slam Pentagon's Spin on Deadly Kuwait Drone Attack: "We Were Unprepared"

The Pentagon wants you to believe the deadly Iranian drone strike on a U.S. Army unit in Kuwait was a one-off breach — a "squirter" drone that slipped through defenses at a fortified base. But the soldiers who survived that March 1 attack paint a far grimmer picture.

In exclusive interviews with CBS News, members of the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command describe a unit left dangerously exposed, operating out of a makeshift compound with minimal protection. "Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," one wounded soldier said. "The unit was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position."

The attack killed six service members and wounded more than 20 others, marking the deadliest strike on U.S. troops since 2021. Survivors recount how they were forced to work inside a ramshackle building surrounded only by thin vertical blast barriers that offered no protection from aerial attacks. The base resembled the kind of outposts common in Iraq and Afghanistan before drone warfare reshaped the battlefield.

Despite intelligence indicating their location was a known Iranian target, leadership ordered the unit closer to Iran’s missile range, while most other U.S. forces relocated further away. Soldiers were told to "Get off the X" — a military phrase meaning to move out of harm’s way — yet their unit was sent in the opposite direction.

The aftermath was chaos. Soldiers describe ringing ears, blurred vision, and gruesome injuries from shrapnel and blast waves. Video footage shows smoke and fire consuming the compound. Yet amid the carnage, the troops displayed quick thinking and bravery that saved lives.

Pentagon officials have declined to comment in detail, citing an ongoing investigation. Assistant Secretary of Defense Sean Parnell claimed the facility was fortified with six-foot walls and that every measure was taken to protect troops.

But these firsthand accounts reveal a disturbing pattern of inadequate protection and poor strategic decisions that put American lives at risk. The survivors’ voices demand accountability for sending troops into harm’s way without proper defenses against the evolving drone threat.

This is not just a story about one attack. It’s a warning about how unprepared U.S. forces remain against new forms of warfare — and the deadly consequences when leadership fails to adapt.