Video from a statement by Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth answers a question about the U.S. service members killed by an Iranian drone, at a Pentagon press briefing with Gen. Dan Caine, March 2, 2026.
Excerpt from 32:53 to 33:32 of the Department of War video. Cut from the Department of War's own recording of the briefing on DVIDS. The CNBC YouTube upload cited for this source carries the same answer. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: U.S. Department of War. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 35:48 to 36:27, Hegseth answers a question from Reagan Reese of The Daily Caller about how the soldiers were killed)
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."
“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.”