In brief
US Army Major Steven Ramsbottom says commanders ignored warnings about a military facility in Kuwait before an Iranian drone attack killed six US service members. His whistleblower complaint has prompted a senator to demand a closed briefing and protection assessments.
US Army Major Steven Ramsbottom, who survived an Iranian attack on a US military facility in Kuwait, has filed a whistleblower complaint with Congress. He alleges that Army leaders ignored warnings about the command post’s weak protection and failed to provide adequate defences against drones before the war with Iran.
According to Ramsbottom, an Iranian drone struck the facility on the first day of the conflict, killing six US service members. His complaint also alleges that the Shuaiba facility had no doctor or permanent medical post and only one ambulance available to provide assistance.
Ramsbottom described the planning failures as a tactical failure by the Army, its leadership and himself, acknowledging his own share of responsibility. The report did not include a response from military commanders to his allegations.
In a letter dated November 15, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to attend a closed briefing and provide all assessments of protection for service members who had been at Shuaiba port. The report did not specify when the complaint was filed or give a calendar date for the attack, and it did not say that the requested briefing or document disclosure had taken place.
