The Pentagon is taking steps to prepare U.S. military installations for a worst-case conflict in which a major war knocks out power networks and disrupts vital supply lines across the country.
The preparations form part of FORTRESS, a wider strategy designed to keep American forces operating if civilian infrastructure collapses, according to documents reviewed by Fox News.
Under the plan, every major military base in the continental United States would need to sustain core functions for 90 days with its own electricity, water, fuel and communications.
Proposed measures include portable nuclear reactors, high-capacity battery systems and self-contained microgrids capable of keeping bases operational during extended blackouts.
The strategy would also position civilian manufacturers to convert to defense work during a crisis, supported by reserves of ammunition, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, replacement components and medical equipment.
For essential military requirements, the Pentagon would seek at least two approved suppliers or production routes, reducing the danger that the loss of one company could halt operations.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News: “We don’t want to rely on standard civilian municipal infrastructure to run our national defense.
“We just simply can’t. It’s an intolerable risk.”
Major military bases across the continental U.S. would be expected to preserve essential functions for 90 days with independent supplies of power, water, fuel and communications
The initiative reflects a broader shift in Pentagon planning toward conflicts that could reach the American homeland and disable the civilian systems on which the military traditionally relies.
“Power is combat now. Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines and just basic military command structures,” Parnell told Fox News.
The threat goes well beyond a simple loss of electricity. A lengthy outage could damage communications networks, manufacturing capacity and other services needed to support troops, including those deployed overseas.
A central part of the effort is the Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, which would map commercial plants that could be rapidly converted to military production during a national emergency.
Instead of waiting until a conflict begins, the Pentagon intends to evaluate those facilities beforehand and establish technical standards, cybersecurity protections, contracts and plans for switching production.
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Manufacturers would also face recurring industrial stress tests and mobilization drills to gauge whether they could maintain output during prolonged disruptions.
According to Fox News, reserve levels would be calculated based on the rate at which supplies might be used in a major war and the time factories would require to replace them.
The preparations extend into space, including efforts to secure satellite communications and preserve military navigation and connectivity if GPS signals are jammed or other space-based capabilities are interrupted.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth formally launched FORTRESS America in a September 30 memorandum, describing its objective as creating “a homeland that cannot be starved out, shut down, or cut off.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth formally launched the initiative
The directive is built around five goals: energy independence, more resilient supply chains, strategic stockpiles, hardened military facilities, and greater protection in space and across the electromagnetic spectrum.
It ordered the Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment leadership to establish a dedicated program office within 30 days.
That office would begin with a small core team and expand to full operating capability within months, with the memorandum calling for results in weeks rather than years.
An October 6 implementation directive subsequently named Richard ‘Matt’ O’Malley as interim director, according to DefenseScoop, which obtained the document.
A two-star military adviser would assist him, while eight senior Pentagon officials were instructed to nominate representatives to coordinate with the office.
Those officials span personnel, industrial policy, installation management, technology and financial oversight, reflecting how many parts of the department would need to work together.
The public founding memo establishes the program’s structure and priorities. The more detailed 90-day requirement was subsequently described in Fox’s reporting.
‘You don’t want to be making these decisions in the middle of a global multi-front conflict. We have to have a plan,’ Parnell said.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Pentagon for comment.