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Posted on 10/31/2026 2:03:58 PM PDT by DoodleBob
WASHINGTON, — The U.S. Department of Defense is preparing major military installations across the continental United States to operate independently for at least 90 days during a major conflict under its new FORTRESS initiative. Announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 30, 2026, during his State of the Force address, FORTRESS stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability.
According to documents reviewed by Fox News Digital and reporting published on October 25, 2026, the initiative aims to reduce military dependence on civilian infrastructure and global supply chains. Under the plan, major U.S. bases must maintain independent access to electricity, water, fuel, and communications for at least 90 days.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said relying on civilian municipal infrastructure for national defense presents an unacceptable risk. He also noted that previous planning assumptions based on the protection offered by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans no longer adequately reflect current conditions.
Energy Independence and Backup Power
FORTRESS prioritizes energy security through portable small nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage, and local microgrids capable of operating independently of civilian electricity networks. These systems are intended to keep command centres, communications, water systems, logistics, and other critical military functions running during prolonged power outages.
Parnell emphasized that electricity is essential to military readiness. Work on microgrids and battery storage is already progressing at selected sites. A senior defense official said in mid-October 2026 that the department was assessing requirements across approximately 500 installations in the continental United States. No deadline has been announced for implementing the complete 90-day standard across all bases.
Strategic Reserves and Supply Chain Security
The initiative calls for strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, medical supplies, electronic components, spare parts, and critical minerals. Stockpile levels would be determined by expected wartime consumption and the time required to replenish supplies.
The Pentagon also aims to establish at least two independent production or supply pathways for critical defense requirements, reducing dependence on a single supplier or factory and helping prevent production disruptions during a conflict.
Civilian Factories for Defense Production
FORTRESS includes the Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, established under the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The network identifies civilian factories that could rapidly switch to defense production during a crisis.
Preparations include technical requirements, contracts, production-conversion procedures, cybersecurity measures, and regular exercises to test industrial capacity and mobilization readiness. The objective is to prepare factories before a crisis rather than develop conversion plans after a conflict begins.
Cybersecurity, Space and Homeland Defense
FORTRESS also includes measures to protect military communications, navigation, and satellite systems against cyber threats, space-based disruptions, and GPS jamming.
The initiative reflects a broader shift in U.S. homeland defense planning. Parnell pointed to related efforts, including the Golden Dome program and increased attention to the Western Hemisphere, as the Pentagon reassesses threats to U.S. territory and military infrastructure.
By strengthening energy supplies, stockpiles, manufacturing capacity, and communications, the Pentagon aims to keep military bases operational even when civilian infrastructure and international supply chains are disrupted.
The immediate focus is on installations in the continental United States. Officials have not confirmed whether overseas U.S. military bases will eventually face the same 90-day self-sufficiency requirement.
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What took them so long?
There are already folks in the nether reaches of the internet claiming that this is just a cover to prepare select military bases for service as mass holding facilities for deportees in waiting, and to house Americans involved in resisting the ICE orders.
Something is in the works. This might be a good “Heads Up!”
Exactly.
And where are all the dems saying, “They are going to take care of themselves while the rest of us freeze and starve!”
Just wait….that’s coming.
Better to be held on a military base than on the roof of abandoned Walmart stores as claimed 15 or 20 years ago by the internet nuts.
I’m old enough to remember when major bases generated their own power. Later those facilities were shut down and all power came from the utility.
They better have plan for the civilian workers at these bases. They basically are the ones who keep all the infrastructure and logistics going. Without them, everything grinds to a halt.
Preps for the militarty?
How can anyone question it?
If I didn’t have to leave the house for 90 days, I could probably make it work.
I agree. They could be preparing for some huge attack perpetrated by enemy combatants……….enemy combatants are hackers too.
Perhaps Iran has procured nukes or dirty nukes.
China could be a problem too and Xi is not well.
If they are planning to go into Iran, Iran has operatives in the US thanks to the Islamocommie party.
Government has been signaling this week that people should be prepared for 3 weeks of provisions.
Something’s up.
I’m not seeing this as it is being reported... most bases are self sufficient. Yes they rely on deliveries etc but “militarily” they’re fine. No mater where you’re at you need replenishments. Look at your carrier task force groups, they’re gone for 6+ months at a time..self sufficient but require replenishment.... which is always in the pipeline.
No forward deployed bases (FOBs) are independent. They need replenishments as well but again, it’s all planned out.
I’ve got enough food, water and the “other” necessary things to last me a year or longer but I also have an abundance of food around as needed. Either way I’ll need constant replenishment as well or you run out of “stuff”.
It’s all BS the way it’s being presented.
My guess is that the Trump administration is mostly worried about a possible collapse of the electric grid due to a solar Coronal Mass Eruption, a CME, which is also sometimes referred to as a Carrington Event. The Trump I administration assessed the risk and began to plan for a possible loos of the grid. Trump II seems to be moving toward action.
A CME could happen, now, or a century from now. Not a sure thing. But... the Trump administration sees what is going on between Ukraine and Russia, each trying to destroy electric generation and oil/NG generation in order to cripple military operations.
I think they’re more worried about our enemies destroying our grid.
I would guess that this effort is a response to Intelligence that identified credible threats - i.e. a hostile power or powers planning and preparing attack capability against critical infrastructure.
Enemies can be deterred. A CME would just happen. Plausibly, a day or two warning could help to allow preparation.
I agree. I’m surprised this hasn’t been the policy all along.
We need nuclear power units from carriers, subs, etc at the time of de-commissioning the ship to be re-constituted on nuclear bases to provide self sufficient power for the base making the base fully energy independent.
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