Pat Ryan says the Port Shuaiba post had no counter-drone defenses
Pat RyanU.S. representative for New York's 18th District (D), member of the House Armed Services Committee
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pat Ryan told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the Port Shuaiba post had no counter-drone, counter-rocket or counter-artillery systems and no overhead protection, "And now six of our soldiers are dead." He cited survivors' accounts that disputed Hegseth's description of the drone and said Hegseth should resign.
Responding to
Members of the 103rd Sustainment Command told CBS News, on condition of anonymity, that the Port Shuaiba post was not a fortified position, had no capability to defend against drones, and that describing the drone as one that "squeaked through" was false.
“No counter drone capabilities. No counter rocket systems. No counter mortar or counter artillery. Not even the basic overhead protection that you and I had 20 years ago in Iraq. And now, six of our soldiers are dead.”
Original video
Official statement
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
Video of Rep. Pat Ryan's questioning of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Department's fiscal 2027 budget request on April 29, 2026. Times are offsets into the clip. Quoted wording is our transcription; the exchange includes crosstalk, and automatic captions render parts of it differently.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Press release from Rep. Pat Ryan's office giving his remarks to Hegseth at the April 29, 2026 House Armed Services Committee hearing. The release text differs in places from the spoken words on video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Ryan said intelligence showed the port was high on Iran's target list, that internal analysis found it indefensible from aerial attack, and that officers on the ground requested more force protection that they did not receive. He quoted a survivor who told CBS News, "I would put it in the none category."
After the quotation
Ryan said the March 2 description of a "squirter" contradicted survivors' accounts, asked whether Hegseth was saying they were lying, and said Hegseth should resign. His office's release of the remarks words this passage slightly differently.
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. Ryan says the post lacked counter-drone and overhead protection and ties that to the six deaths, an express criticism of the protection. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he also disputes Hegseth's "squirter" description; it loses because he asserts the failure itself and calls for accountability. Evidence: our transcription of video of the hearing; his office's release gives the same remarks in slightly different wording.
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- People and groups discussed
- Pete Hegseth
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- Pat Ryan says the Port Shuaiba post had no counter-drone defenses
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The Dispute Index. "Pat Ryan says the Port Shuaiba post had no counter-drone defenses". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4865-at-a-house-armed-services-committee-hearing-rep