WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues in opening a new investigation into reports that the Department of Defense (DoD) failed to provide adequate medical care to servicemembers injured in a March drone strike on a U.S. military post at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. The investigation follows months of Senator Baldwin demanding answers for the Trump Administration’s preparation failures that left troops vulnerable and led to delays in getting care for injured servicemembers. 

“As President Trump once again ramps up his reckless war in Iran, and new reports indicate that additional American bases have come under attack, it is critical that DoD provide answers about its capacity to provide care for injured servicemembers,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

For months, Senator Baldwin has been raising the alarms on inadequate preparation which put American troops in harm’s way and led to insufficient care for injured servicemembers, including two Wisconsinites who went weeks without proper screening and treatment for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Following new reporting revealing that servicemembers warned of safety issues ahead of the strike, the Senator Baldwin pressed Secretary Hegseth in a hearing for answers on why troops injured in the attack have not received timely access to medical care and why the Trump Administration failed to prepare for attacks on troops in the Middle East.

Survivors reported facing delays and challenges in getting necessary medical care, including that injured servicemembers who were flown to Germany for care were then told that they could only get limited treatment and had to wait in barracks as the hospital was unable to admit them. Other servicemembers with symptoms of traumatic brain injuries were reportedly unable to get proper care for nearly a month after the strike, even after they were flown from Germany to Fort Hood in Texas. 

In March, Senator Baldwin heard about two Wisconsinites who were deployed in Kuwait that had sustained traumatic brain injuries in the March 1st attack at Port Shuaiba that killed 6 American servicemembers.  After the attack, they’d been relocated to Fort Hood via Germany without receiving any specialized screening or care for TBI’s. Once the Senator intervened on their behalf, the servicemembers and the rest of their unit received the proper screening, and the soldiers were transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington, D.C. to receive treatment for TBI’s. That meant going weeks without receiving the specialized care they needed after the March 1st attack. 

After ensuring these servicemembers received care, Senator Baldwin demanded answers from the Defense Health Administration about the delay in care, why the military wasn’t prepared with necessary medical units, and how they planned to avoid such delays moving forward.

The reports also raise serious concerns about DoD’s lack of preparation for a strike against Port Shuaiba. A soldier reportedly filed a complaint with the Inspector General stating that the lack of safety measures at Port Shuaiba were so significant that the unit’s force protection assessments “recommended against positioning any personnel at Shuaiba Port.” Survivors of the strike reported that they believed that at least one victim of the attack could have survived if they had had proper access to care. 

The Army reportedly downplayed injuries sustained during the strike, including by telling families that their loved ones were not seriously injured despite suffering extensive injuries.

“These reports are also emblematic of a broader pattern of the Trump Administration’s blatant dismissal and disregard for the injuries and deaths of servicemembers in this war,” wrote the lawmakers. 

The lawmakers also called out DoD’s revision of official casualty counts from the war in Iran. Last week, DoD lowered the number of U.S. servicemembers who had been killed in the war so far from 18 to 14, and categorized their deaths under “Overseas Operations” instead of Operation Epic Fury, in an apparent attempt to hide the growing casualty count of U.S. servicemembers from President Trump’s war against Iran.  

“This is shameful and a complete and utter disrespect to these servicemembers, their loved ones, and those who served alongside them…It dishonors their ultimate sacrifice to attempt to hide the real costs of this war from the American people,” said the lawmakers. 

“As you and President Trump continue to risk the lives of servicemembers in this reckless war, the American people deserve answers on whether you were adequately prepared to protect servicemembers from Iranian attacks and get them the care they needed, and whether you will be prepared to do so if the war continues and escalates even further,” wrote the lawmakers. 

The lawmakers asked Secretary Hegseth to provide answers related to the reports of insufficient medical care, injury classifications, and details of the Port Shuaiba attack and ensuing investigation by August 12, 2026.

A full version of the letter is available here. 

An online version of this release is available here.