U.S. Soldier Alleges Ignored Warnings Before Iranian Drone Attack

A U.S. Army soldier survived a deadly Iranian drone attack and filed a whistleblower complaint to Congress, claiming senior military officials ignored warnings before the war with Iran. The soldier, Army Maj. Stephen Ramsbottom, spoke exclusively with 60 Minutes about his complaint, which reached both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

Maj. Ramsbottom accuses Army leaders of dismissing concerns over weak fortifications at a U.S. command post in Kuwait. This location, known as Port Shuaiba, witnessed the death of six American soldiers from an Iranian drone strike within the first 24 hours of conflict. It marked the deadliest attack on U.S. troops during that period.

The whistleblower claimed structural deficiencies such as lack of a physician, absence of a fixed aid station, and only one ambulance present at Port Shuaiba. In his interview, he stated, “I feel this is a tactical failure by the Army, our leadership, and myself—all the way down to my level. We just did not plan this well, and this needs to be a lesson that we learn.”

The interview was part of an eight-month investigation into the March 1 attack at the Kuwaiti command post. Following the attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the protection level at a press conference, noting unanticipated breaches occasionally occur despite fortified setups.

“Every once in a while you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter that makes its way through,” Hegseth said. “And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified. But these are powerful weapons.”

Eyewitness accounts and visual evidence reveal the facility’s inadequacies when the strike breached the site one day after Operation Epic Fury commenced by the U.S. and Israel.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member on the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, responded by demanding that Hegseth participate in a classified briefing. He emphasized the need to present “All force protection assessments” for the site involved.

Democrats announced plans to scrutinize the administration’s management of the Iran conflict, signaling intentions to investigate further once in power. Blumenthal stated, “The families of the six fallen servicemembers, the wounded survivors, and the American people deserve transparency and accountability.”

As the situation unfolds, a Pentagon spokesperson remained silent on Maj. Ramsbottom’s allegations concerning the adequacy of force protection at Port Shuaiba.