Multiple sources told CBS News that Brig. Gen. Clint Barnes rejected plans to move his unit to Saudi Arabia despite intelligence warnings that Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba could be targeted. Iranian drones struck it March 1, killing six U.S. troops and wounding more than 20.
About a week before Operation Epic Fury began, most U.S. troops and Air Force personnel in Kuwait had moved to Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Army intelligence had briefed Barnes in January that Shuaiba could be a target, according to sources. Two Saudi alternatives were assessed: LSA Jenkins near Yanbu and Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh; Barnes chose Shuaiba, following the prior unit’s move there during the July 2025 Israel-Iran war. Prince Sultan was also hit by Iranian fire, damaging an Air Force jet but causing no reported deaths.
An Army probe ordered by U.S. Army Central and Third Army was completed in early July, but its findings have not been released; the Army says it will not comment on specific details or leaked portions. More than 20 congressional Democrats have urged House and Senate Armed Services Committee hearings. Survivors said the post was not fortified and described requests for more medical staff and supplies; the Pentagon previously said it was a secure facility with six-foot walls.
