The Pentagon has identified four United States Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. military facility in Kuwait.
This marks the first confirmed American fatalities in the escalating conflict with Iran.
The soldiers, all assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, were:
1. Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
2. Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
3. Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
4. Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
The deceased were killed on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, when an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle struck a makeshift tactical operations centre, a fortified but vulnerable structure described in some reports as a triple-wide trailer converted into office and command space.
The attack occurred shortly after the launch of joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, which began over the weekend.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the incident on Monday, stating that the strike evaded air defences and hit the facility directly, with one projectile penetrating the facility’s defences.
Reports indicate there was no prior warning or siren, leaving personnel little time to seek cover. The facility lacked full overhead hardening, raising questions about force protection measures in forward-deployed logistics hubs amid heightened regional threats
