The dozens of U.S. troops bombarded by
at a small Kuwaiti port in the opening days of the Iran war could have relocated to safer positions in western Saudi Arabia, multiple sources told CBS News, but those plans were rejected by the unit's commanding general despite intelligence warning of a potential attack on their post.
uncertain
intelligence → bombard → post
About one week before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, most American soldiers and Air Force personnel stationed in Kuwait were moved to Jordan and Saudi Arabia — farther away from Iranian missile range.
asserted
soldiers → station → range
At least two options were scouted, planned and presented to the leadership of the 103rd Sustainment Command, the Army Reserve unit that ran logistics for U.S. Central Command: one was Logistical Support Area (LSA) Jenkins, a U.S. military base near the southwest port city of Yanbu, and another was Prince Sultan Air Force Base, just southeast of the Saudi capital city Riyadh.
asserted
another → scout → city
A third option, supported by the commander, Brig. Gen. Clint Barnes, was to follow the playbook from the unit that was previously deployed to Kuwait before the 103rd arrived in September 2025.
asserted
103rd → support → September
that July, the active unit briefly moved from their home base at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait to Port of Shuaiba, roughly 30 miles south of Kuwait City and just 65 miles southwest of Iran.
asserted
unit → move → Iran
"That was a totally different scenario," one service member, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, told CBS News.
asserted
he → speak → News
"Missiles and drones were flying overhead between Iran and Israel and we were more worried about one of them being intercepted and falling out of the sky."
asserted
one → fly → sky
The U.S., Israel and other allies joined in shooting down dozens of the Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel that summer, but Iran never directly targeted U.S. positions in the Mideast.
asserted
Iran → join → Mideast
By late fall 2025, however, Army intelligence began to map out potential Iranian retaliation scenarios in the event the U.S. became more engaged in military activity against the Iranian regime.
asserted
U.S. → begin → regime
In January, the sources said Army intelligence began briefing Barnes that Port of Shuaiba was a potential target, but in the days before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, he nonetheless chose to move the unit there instead of Saudi Arabia.
asserted
he → say → Arabia
"Shuaiba was the easy button," another service member said.
asserted
member → say → ?
The Army on Thursday declined comment.
asserted
Army → decline → comment
CBS News has also reached out to Barnes but has not received a response.
asserted
News → reach → response
The revelations are the latest in a series of whistleblower accounts made by active and reserve service members regarding the decision-making process leading up to and following the
of the war.
asserted
revelations → make → war
Six U.S. troops were on March 1, and more than 20 were wounded.
asserted
20 → wound → March
Notably, Prince Sultan Air Force Base, one of the other options for the unit's relocation, was also attacked by Iranian fire.
asserted
Base → attack → fire
Pictures
showed damage to a large Air Force jet, though there were no reported deaths as a result of the strikes on PSAB.U.S. Army Central and Third Army this summer ordered a Pentagon probe "to determine the facts and circumstances" of the Iranian attack at Port of Shuaiba, but before the review was underway, a CBS News investigation began shedding light on what several survivors of the attack described as "strategic failures" ahead of, during and after the strike.
asserted
survivors → show → strike
One day after the deadly strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the Iranian drone as a "squirter" — suggesting that the drone managed to slip past the defenses of a fortified unit inside Kuwait.
asserted
drone → describe → Kuwait
that "painting a picture that 'one squeaked through'" was not accurate.
asserted
one → paint → that
The soldier said the unit was "unprepared to provide any defense for itself.
asserted
unit → say → itself
It was not a fortified position.
asserted
It → fortify → ?
that their son, as one of the unit's force protection officers, was among the key soldiers warning Barnes of the site's vulnerability.
asserted
son → warn → vulnerability
"My son died unnecessarily," Stacey Khork lamented.
asserted
Khork → die → ?
"Yes, he died for my country.
asserted
he → die → country
I hate to use the word murder because it's strong, but if a loved one of yours was murdered, our justice system is built to have accountability and to have atonement for that and for the grief of the family.
asserted
system → hate → family
CBS News spoke with other survivors of the blast who detailed requests to leadership for more resources ahead of the strike.
asserted
who → speak → strike
Those requests focused on the number of medical personnel as well as the availability and accessibility of medical supplies.
asserted
requests → focus → supplies
"This was a failure," Maj. Stephen Ramsbottom said in
in May, adding he believed , another of the six soldiers killed, could have survived her wounds had there been a doctor, a fixed aid station or more than one ambulance at the post.
uncertain
another → say → post
The soldiers, according to witnesses, instead triaged themselves with makeshift bandages, braces and tourniquets.
uncertain
soldiers → accord → bandages
They commandeered civilian vehicles to drive the wounded to two local Kuwaiti hospitals.
asserted
They → commandeer → hospitals
The Pentagon has repeatedly pushed back on claims that the Army tried to downplay the incident.
uncertain
Army → push → incident
In a post on X in March addressing prior CBS News reporting on the strike, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said "every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops — at every level" and that "[t]he secure facility was with ."
asserted
facility → address → level
Earlier this month, an Army spokesperson confirmed to the Khorks and CBS News that its probe into the deadly Iranian attack was completed in early July,
.
asserted
probe → confirm → July
In a statement to CBS News, an Army spokesperson asked for "patience" and said the Pentagon "will not comment on specific details, individual accounts, or leaked portions of the report at this time.
asserted
Pentagon → ask → time
"A spokesperson for the Iowa-based 103rd Sustainment Command declined comment, while multiple requests to Brig. Gen. Barnes have gone unanswered.
asserted
requests → base → Barnes
Congressional Democrats urge committee hearings
asserted
Democrats → urge → hearings
As families like the Khorks await findings from the Army, more than 20 congressional Democrats from both chambers are urging the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to hold investigative hearings on the deadly strike.
asserted
Democrats → await → strike
A new letter sent this week to GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Kansas and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the chairmen of their respective committees, cited multiple CBS News reports on the attack.
asserted
letter → send → attack
Lawmakers who signed the letter include military veterans Rep. Pat Ryan of New York and Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.
asserted
who → sign → Colorado
Signatories also include Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith of Minnesota, the home state of Master Sgt. Nicole Amor.
asserted
Signatories → include → Amor
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
