Truth be told: A.I. and the friendly fire incident in Kuwait

On March 2 at 6:03 a.m. (Kuwait time), there was a friendly fire incident in which three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down mistakenly by air defenses of Kuwait [1]. The term “air defenses” encompasses both ground-based, and air-based, air defense systems [2]. An article released by the Wall Street Journal reported that a single Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jet was responsible for the shootdowns [3], and that story was perpetuated through various media outlets. However, at the FII Priority Summit on March 27 in Miami, the President of the United States and Commander-In-Chief, speaking on the incident, remarked that “they (Kuwait) wasted three great Patriot missiles.”  

A.I. and Patriot Systems

The development of U.S. Patriot air defense systems coincided with military application of artificial intelligence (A.I.), and as such they are highly automated systems [4]. Patriot systems operate in the lower tier airspace, compared to upper tier systems that include the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and the Israeli Arrow 3. Because the lower tier is typically cluttered and the relatively close range involves short reaction time, systems operating in this coverage area are conducive to mistakes. The autonomous systems have limitations to reliably handling unusual or ambiguous scenarios. It is a demonstrated fallacy in misplacing trust in the systems. Furthermore, it is suggested that humans generally lack the ability for proficient supervisory control [4]. Kuwait is one of the international partner nations that purchases and uses Patriot systems [5].

Attempted Cover-up?

Blaming the shootdowns of three U.S. F-15 on a Kuwaiti fighter jet is a peculiar story, considering this incident occurred shortly after a dispute over the use of A.I. in the U.S. military, as described in The darkness of A.I. There was even a supposed video of the incident as recorded by civilian spectators, the authenticity of which had been in question [6]. An experienced former F/A-18 pilot even said that the story bordered on implausible [6]. The story was “according to three people familiar with initial reports of the incident [3].” But that story has been invalidated by the recent remarks on the matter by the Commander-In-Chief. His remarks, whether or not they were inadvertent, were boastful of Patriot system technology and alluded to the limited supply of the interceptor missiles. 

The A.I. Fasttrack 

Obviously, there are serious implications to A.I. in the context of lethal autonomy, which is a system that can use lethal force with lack of human oversight [4]. Indeed, this is not fiction. The aspiration here is ascertaining the truth and writing it concisely and objectively. The U.S. administration is in headlong pursuit of A.I., as are other economic and political leaders from around the world. In fact, the U.S. President made the remark at the 2026 summit for FII (Future Investment Initiative) Institute, which is based in Saudi Arabia and emphasizes A.I. development and investment. A.I. has been an enticing investment for Saudi Arabia, as leadership of Saudi Arabia has been seeking to diversify sources of wealth [7]. The remark made by the U.S. President in light of the incident indicates either total disregard, or scoffing attitude, toward the dangers of A.I. We are witnessing, perhaps not so subtly, of what Romans 1:28 describes as people doing what ought not be done.  

References

[1] U.S. Central Command.  Press Release:  Three U.S. F-15s Involved in Friendly Fire Incident in Kuwait; Pilots Safe.  

[2] US Legal.  Air Defense: A Comprehensive Overview of Its Legal Definition. 

[3] Seligman, L. 2026, March 03.  Kuwaiti Fighter Jet Mistakenly Shot Down American F-15s, Initial Reports Say.  The Wall Street Journal. 

[4] Hawley, J. K.  2017.  Patriot Wars: Automation and the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.  Center for a New American Security.

[5] PAC-3®  MSE Overview, Public Release DAL2024070273.  Lockheed Martin. 

[6] Newdick, T.  2026, March 06.  Kuwaiti F/A-18’s Triple Friendly Fire Shootdown Gets Stranger By the Day.  The War Zone.  

[7] Blanchard, C. M.  2024.  Possible U.S.-Saudi Agreements and Normalization with Israel: Considerations for Congress, Document R48162.   Congressional Research Service.