A strike from a single Iranian one-way attack drone marked the deadliest episode for U.S. forces since the start of hostilities with Iran.
The campaign to cripple Iran’s military had been underway for one day when U.S. forces experienced their single deadliest episode. An explosive-laden one-way attack drone slipped through the defensive layers surrounding a tactical operations center at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait.
Six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, assigned to the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, were killed when that Iranian drone struck their position on March 1. Several others were injured.
The March 1 strike showcased the challenges that can arise in a large-scale conflict, when waves of attack drones are mixed into salvos of ballistic missiles to exhaust defensive networks. These relatively inexpensive weapons are driving military planners to reevaluate their defensive systems and strategies.
Addressing the deadly attack, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military has “incredible air defenders,” but “every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately—we call it a ‘squirter’—that makes its way through.”
A seventh U.S. soldier died on March 8 as a result of injuries he sustained in a separate drone attack targeting the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.
Attack drones also have exacted a toll on other allies and partners in the Middle East.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior reported several civilians were injured in drone strikes on the island of Sitra on March 9.
A French soldier was killed and six of his teammates were injured when a one-way attack drone struck their outpost in Iraq on March 12.
Drones have been used to set fire to fuel depots in Gulf Arab states that have hosted U.S. forces.
“The challenge, particularly with Iran, is that Iran has a very wide selection of potential targets,” said Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in foreign policy.
“It’s very hard to defend everything across the Gulf when you’re talking about airports and air bases, energy centers, et cetera.”
By Ryan Morgan
