Lawmakers Press Hegseth on Kuwait Strike That Killed Six U.S. Troops as Survivors Dispute Pentagon Account

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29 to face questions about a March 1 Iranian drone strike at Shuaiba Port, Kuwait, that killed six U.S. service members and wounded more than 20 others. Simultaneously, four Democratic senators launched a formal inquiry into whether the Pentagon failed to adequately protect troops stationed at the port before the attack. Survivors of the strike, speaking to CBS News, disputed Hegseth's public description of the site as a fortified position.

The Details

Hegseth testified before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29, according to CBS News and the Washington Examiner. The hearing centered on the March 1 attack at Shuaiba Port, which occurred in the opening phase of the U.S.-Iran war that began February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to Stars and Stripes.

Hegseth had previously characterized the strike as a rare occurrence, describing it as a drone that got through capable air defenses. "We have incredible air defenders. Every once in a while you might have one that makes its way through. In that particular case it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified," Hegseth said, as cited by the Washington Examiner, CBS News, and Stars and Stripes.

At least one injured soldier who survived the strike told CBS News that account was inaccurate. "Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood. I want people to know the unit was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position," the soldier said. Stars and Stripes, citing the lawmakers' letter, reported that troops at Shuaiba Port had no warning sirens before the strike and no local defenses capable of bringing down incoming drones. The Pentagon has not publicly responded to those specific allegations.

Four Democratic senators — Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Mark Kelly — sent a formal inquiry letter to the Pentagon, according to CBS News. The letter, as reported by The Hill, asked what risk assessments and force-protection measures were in place before the attack, given that Iran was already engaged in active hostilities with the United States.

"Secretary Hegseth sent our troops to fight in Iran, refused to take basic steps to protect them, and then tried to cover up his failures when service members died," Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement accompanying the inquiry letter, according to CBS News and The Hill.

Separately, Rep. Pat Ryan and other House Democratic veterans called for an immediate investigation into force-protection failures tied to the same March 1 attack, according to Rep. Ryan's congressional press release. The lawmakers' focus, as described by The Hill and the Pat Ryan press release, is on whether the Pentagon anticipated Iranian retaliation and whether counter-drone protections at forward deployment sites were sufficient.

The question of whether the Shuaiba Port tactical operations center was adequately fortified against drone attack remains disputed. Hegseth has publicly maintained the site was fortified and that the strike was an anomaly. Survivors, as reported by CBS News, allege it was not fortified and that the unit was unable to defend itself. That conflict is central to the congressional oversight inquiries now underway.

Context

The March 1 strike took place one day after the U.S.-Iran war began on February 28, when U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran opened the conflict, according to Stars and Stripes. Shuaiba Port, Kuwait, was among the forward locations where U.S. personnel were stationed as operations escalated.

Lawmakers' oversight focus centers on two questions, according to The Hill and the Pat Ryan press release: whether the Pentagon anticipated that Iranian retaliation against U.S. forward positions was likely, and whether counter-drone protection at those sites was sufficient given the threat environment.

Hegseth was scheduled to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 30, the day after his House testimony, according to CBS News and militarynews.com. That appearance will give senators, including members of the inquiry group, a direct opportunity to press him on the same questions.

What's Next

Hegseth was set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 30, according to CBS News and militarynews.com. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Mark Kelly, who signed the formal inquiry letter, are members of or have access to that committee process and have signaled they intend to press the Pentagon for answers.

The senators' letter formally asks the Pentagon to provide documentation on risk assessments and force-protection measures that were in place before the March 1 attack, according to The Hill. A response deadline was included in the letter, though the specific date was not independently confirmed in the sources consulted for this report.