US Army Soldier Who Survived Fatal Accident Iranian drone attack filed a complaint with Congress alleging that senior military officials ignored warnings and failed to properly plan anti-drone defenses before the war with Iran.
Whistleblower Major Stephen Ramsbottom spoke exclusively to 60 Minutes.‘ Norah O’Donnell about her complaint, which was submitted Friday to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and obtained by CBS News.
It says Army leaders dismissed concerns about thin fortifications at a U.S. command post in Kuwait, where six U.S. soldiers were killed by an Iranian drone in the first 24 hours of the conflict, the deadliest attack on U.S. troops during the war.
The complaint also claims that the post – known as Port Shuaiba – “had no doctor, no fixed aid station, and only one ambulance.”
“I think this is a tactical failure on the part of the army, our leadership and myself, right down to my level,” Major Ramsbottom told 60 Minutes. “We just didn’t plan this well, and that has to be a lesson we learn.”
Ramsbottom spoke to 60 Minutes as part of a eight-month investigation into the March 1 attack at the command post, known as Port Shuaiba. The day after the attack, at a press conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that the troops present were well protected.
“Every once in a while you might get one, unfortunately we call it a squirter that works its way in,” Hegseth said. “And in this particular case, it turned out to be a fortified tactical operations center. But these are powerful weapons.”
Eyewitness accounts, along with photos and videos of the attack’s aftermath, offer a stunning glimpse into the barely fortified Kuwaiti port facility when it was hit a day after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, made a series of requests to Hegseth after reviewing the whistleblower’s complaint.
In a letter dated Nov. 15, the senator called on Hegseth to appear at a classified briefing and provide “all force protection assessments” for Port Shuaiba. Democrats have indicated they will investigate the administration’s handling of the war with Iran when they take back both houses of Congress next year.
“The families of the six fallen service members, the injured survivors, and the American people deserve transparency and accountability,” Blumenthal wrote.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Ramsbottom’s allegations, including whether adequate force protection was in place at Port Shuaiba.
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