Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin redoubled pressure on the Pentagon and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) to make public the investigation into the attack with Iranian drones that on March 1 left six US soldiers dead and dozens injured at the Port Shuaiba base, Kuwait. In a letter addressed to the commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, the Wisconsin legislator requested the immediate publication of the report's conclusions, in addition to delivering to Congress the complete investigation, the documentation that supports it and any classified review related to the attack.
“I now ask that you immediately release the results of that investigation and provide Congress with a full copy of the investigation, all underlying documentation, and any additional classified review of the attack,” Baldwin wrote. The request comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that he would coordinate with the military command to deliver additional information to Congress about the case.
Doubts persist over troop protection
The attack occurred just two days after the start of the conflict between the United States and Iran. According to reports cited by the senator, an Iranian Shahed drone hit a temporary facility used by the US military in Port Shuaiba, where members of the 103rd Army Reserve Support Command were deployed.
Baldwin maintains that there are questions about the decision to transfer soldiers from Camp Arifjan, an installation with greater defensive capabilities, to a base that, according to military testimony and journalistic reports, lacked sufficient systems to confront attacks with drones and missiles.
During the hearing held on July 21, the legislator directly questioned Hegseth about reports that requests to reinforce air defenses and supply medical equipment before the attack were rejected. The secretary denied that any request had been rejected, a statement that, according to Baldwin, contradicts the testimonies of soldiers cited in journalistic investigations.
They request explanations about medical care
The senator also asked to clarify why military medical assistance was not immediately available after the attack. According to testimonies collected by various media, several wounded were transferred to civilian hospitals in Kuwait due to the absence of nearby military medical infrastructure, while some military personnel maintain that greater medical resources could have increased the chances of survival for at least one of the victims.
“Congress and the American people deserve clear answers about what happened on March 1 and why the U.S. military failed to protect and care for our soldiers,” Baldwin said. Among the requests sent to CENTCOM are the publication of the conclusions of the investigation, the delivery of all documents related to the case and a detailed explanation of the decisions made in matters of intelligence, air defense and medical care before and after the attack.
The senator set Aug. 18 as the deadline for the military command to respond to the requests, as congressional scrutiny continues over one of the deadliest attacks suffered by U.S. troops during the war with Iran.
