Four Democratic senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee opened an investigation into whether the Pentagon left U.S. troops at a command post in Kuwait without sufficient protection ahead of an Iranian drone attack. The March 1, 2026 strike killed six American servicemembers and wounded more than 20.

The inquiry is being led by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, and Mark Kelly. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the senators wrote that the administration "failed to protect Americans in the region from Iranian retaliation."

At a press conference the day after the attack, Hegseth said the drone struck "a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these were powerful weapons." Survivors from the Army's 103rd Sustainment Command disputed that account. Another soldier said they had seen intelligence showing the Kuwaiti post was on a list of potential Iranian targets.

One injured soldier said: "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 tactical operations center was surrounded by steel-reinforced concrete barriers known as T-walls, which are designed to shield service members from the blast of a mortar or rocket but offer no protection from aerial attacks. The structure's design was similar to those used during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before the rise of drone warfare.

Video of the aftermath of the drone strike shows smoke billowing from the building and fires smoldering. Service members described seeing fellow soldiers bleeding heavily from shrapnel wounds and suffering severe head injuries.

The Defense Department declined to comment on the incident, citing an active investigation. Assistant Secretary of Defense Sean Parnell said in a post on X that "every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops — at every level."

Hegseth is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, following testimony before a House panel on Wednesday. The committee's inquiry follows the senators' letter to Hegseth requesting documentation related to force protection decisions at the Kuwaiti post.