Survivors Dispute Pentagon on Kuwait Drone Strike

Survivors of a deadly Iranian drone strike on a U.S. military facility in Kuwait have disputed the Pentagon's account of the attack, claiming their unit was left without adequate defenses despite official descriptions of a fortified position. The March 1 incident at the Port of Shuaiba, one of the earliest strikes in the ongoing conflict with Iran, killed six Army Reserve soldiers and wounded more than 20 others, marking the deadliest assault on American forces since 2021.

The victims, all members of the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, were identified as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20; Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien, 45; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54. The unit, which handled logistics for equipment and personnel across the Middle East, was operating from a tactical operations center described by survivors as a converted triple-wide trailer surrounded by steel-reinforced concrete T-walls. These barriers, standard in past conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, provided protection against lateral blasts from mortars or rockets but offered no overhead cover against...