Pete Hegseth says the drone was a squirter that hit a fortified operations center
Pete HegsethSecretary of Defense
Asked at a Pentagon briefing how the soldiers in Kuwait were killed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. air defenses hit most incoming fire and that "every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter that makes its way through." He said this one "happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons."
Responding to
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the drone that struck Port Shuaiba was a "squirter" that made its way through U.S. air defenses and hit a tactical operations center that "was fortified."
“Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter that makes its way through. And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons.”
Original video
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did the military fail the troops wounded in the March 1 Iranian drone strike at Port Shuaiba?
On March 1, 2026, an Iranian drone struck a U.S. Army tactical operations center at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, killing six soldiers of the Army Reserve's 103rd Sustainment Command and wounding dozens more. The next day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the drone as a "squirter" that made its way through air defenses and hit a fortified building. Survivors have since told CBS News and the Associated Press that the post had no defense against drones, that commanders had been warned, and that wounded soldiers waited days to be evacuated, were not recorded as combat wounded on arrival at Landstuhl and waited weeks or months for brain-injury care. The Pentagon says wounded troops are evaluated and may be admitted based on the severity of their injuries, the Army has rejected claims that it downplayed injuries, and the Army has not released its completed investigation. Democratic lawmakers have asked for answers. The dispute is over whether the military failed the troops at Port Shuaiba in how it protected them and how it cared for and documented the wounded.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Full video of the March 2, 2026 Pentagon press briefing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, as carried by CNBC Television. Times are offsets into the video. Quoted wording is our transcription of the recording. Published transcripts differ slightly in punctuation and filler words.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
CBS News article citing three U.S. military officials on the building struck at Port Shuaiba. It quotes Hegseth's March 2 description of the drone and adds, after publication, Parnell's post disputing the article.
Before the quotation
Reagan Reese of The Daily Caller asked Hegseth about the war's objectives and how the soldiers who were killed had died. Hegseth first answered on objectives, then turned to the U.S. casualties and said, "We have incredible air defenders."
After the quotation
Hegseth said moments like the strike "only stiffen our resolve" and that the department would take care of the families. Survivors later told CBS News that describing the drone as one that squeaked through was false.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether the military failed the soldiers at Port Shuaiba in protecting them or in caring for the wounded. Hegseth presents the strike as a single drone getting past effective air defenses and hitting a fortified building, which defends the protection in place. The closest competing label is Minimizes; it loses because he does not play down the deaths and instead describes the defenses as adequate. Evidence: our transcription of video of the briefing, consistent with CBS News's quotation.
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- Pete Hegseth says the drone was a squirter that hit a fortified operations center
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The Dispute Index. "Pete Hegseth says the drone was a squirter that hit a fortified operations center". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4861-asked-at-a-pentagon-briefing-how-the-soldiers