Inside the Pentagon's doomsday plan to keep America fighting if global war erupts
The FORTRESS initiative envisions portable nuclear reactors, microgrids and strategic reserves of munitions and fuel
By
Morgan Phillips Fox News Published
October 25, 2026 6:00am EDT
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Pentagon is preparing U.S. military bases to keep operating for at least 90 days without outside support as it prepares for the possibility of a major war that could cripple power grids, disrupt supply chains and threaten critical infrastructure on American soil.
The new requirement is part of FORTRESS, a broader military initiative aimed at ensuring American forces can continue fighting even if the civilian systems they depend on are disrupted, according to documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
"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," Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital.
The Pentagon is also laying the groundwork for civilian factories to shift to defense production during a crisis, while preparing alternative supply chains and strategic reserves to keep weapons, fuel and other essential materials flowing.
"Power is combat now. Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines and just basic military command structures," Parnell, who led the FORTRESS initiative, said.
Under FORTRESS, every major military installation in the continental United States would be expected to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days, including access to electricity, water, fuel and communications.
AMERICA'S NEXT WAR COULD REACH US SOIL, TOP ARMY GENERAL WARNS
The Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative requires every major U.S. military base to sustain operations for 90 days without civilian power or supply chains.
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