The Atlantic: US military officers reportedly urged commanders to field cheap Ukrainian interceptors against Iranian Shahid UAVs months before the Iran war, but the Pentagon ignored their warnings.
The report says a December 2025 Ukrainian document on dealing with Shahid-type UAVs was shared within the military, and a second report was made public on February 23. On March 1, a Shahid UAV attacked an American logistics center in Kuwait, killing six service members and injuring more than two dozen.
Several of the officers involved were reportedly fired or forced into early retirement. The Pentagon disputed the bill, with spokesman Sean Parnell saying US forces were unprepared and that Central Command had established "the most extensive air defense umbrella in the world. ".