Pentagon Unveils 90-Day Survival Strategy to Keep U.S. Military Operating During Global War

The Pentagon’s FORTRESS America initiative calls for military installations to operate independently for at least 90 days during a major conflict, using alternative energy systems, emergency stockpiles and domestic manufacturing networks to withstand attacks on critical infrastructure.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The Pentagon is developing a sweeping military preparedness strategy requiring major U.S. installations to sustain essential operations for at least 90 days without outside assistance, preparing American forces for a potential global conflict that could disable power grids, interrupt supply chains and disrupt military communications.

The initiative, known as FORTRESS America, would establish independent energy systems, strategic reserves of weapons and fuel, and alternative manufacturing networks to maintain military operations during prolonged emergencies.

According to an Oct. 25 report by Fox News Digital, the Pentagon is developing the requirements amid growing concerns that modern warfare could directly threaten critical infrastructure within the United States.

“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.

Under the proposed 90-day standard, major military bases throughout the continental United States would need sufficient electricity, water, fuel, communications capabilities and essential supplies to continue operating independently if civilian infrastructure becomes unavailable.

The strategy reflects concerns that cyberattacks, sabotage, attacks on electrical infrastructure or disruptions to transportation networks could interfere with military operations even when U.S. forces are deployed overseas.

“Power is combat now. Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines and just basic military command structures,” Parnell said.

FORTRESS America, formally called Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability, was announced Sept. 30 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a military leadership gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

The Pentagon’s official announcement identified energy independence, secure domestic supply chains, strategic reserves, installation protection and resilient communications as central components of the program.

A major element involves reducing military bases’ reliance on commercial electricity.

The Pentagon is examining portable nuclear reactors, large battery systems and localized electrical networks known as microgrids that could function independently during a widespread power failure.

These systems would allow installations to disconnect from civilian electrical networks while continuing to support aircraft operations, command centers, communications equipment and other critical functions.

“Mission-critical power must be independent, hardened, and redundant,” Parnell said.

The initiative expands upon existing military efforts to improve energy resilience, but the proposed 90-day requirement goes further by addressing water, fuel, communications and other resources needed to sustain operations.

Another central concern involves the availability of weapons and essential materials during a prolonged conflict.

Pentagon officials anticipate that a major war involving multiple regions could severely disrupt international shipping routes and industrial supply networks.

“The next conflict will likely be fought on multiple fronts. Look at the geopolitics behind any major war. When that happens, global supply chains will break,” Parnell said.

FORTRESS calls for expanded strategic reserves containing ammunition, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, replacement parts and medical supplies.

The amount of material stored would depend on anticipated wartime consumption and the time required for manufacturers to replenish depleted inventories.

The department also intends to establish at least two qualified suppliers or manufacturing pathways for particularly important military materials and equipment.

That approach is designed to prevent the loss of a single factory, overseas supplier or industrial facility from interrupting essential defense production.

The Pentagon is also preparing civilian manufacturers to transition into defense production during a national emergency.

Through an existing initiative known as the Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, commercial factories would be evaluated for their ability to manufacture military equipment and supplies if conventional defense production became insufficient.

The initiative would establish manufacturing specifications, cybersecurity requirements, contractual arrangements and procedures for converting facilities before a crisis occurs.

Officials also plan recurring industrial exercises to determine whether manufacturers could maintain production during prolonged disruptions.

The approach draws on the principle of wartime industrial mobilization, when civilian factories can be redirected toward producing military equipment and other essential supplies.

Military communications and navigation systems represent another priority.

FORTRESS calls for strengthening satellite networks, communications infrastructure and navigation capabilities against electronic interference, cyberattacks and physical disruptions.

The preparations include maintaining military operations when GPS signals are jammed or satellite services become unavailable.

The initiative also seeks to protect domestic installations against sabotage, drones and other potential threats.

“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 Pentagon has already begun organizing the effort.

According to an Oct. 7 report by DefenseScoop, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey directed senior officials to begin establishing a dedicated FORTRESS America Program Office.

The office is intended to coordinate the initiative across military departments and defense agencies, which currently manage separate programs involving infrastructure resilience, industrial production and emergency preparedness.

A subsequent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies described the initiative as ambitious, particularly its objective of making major installations independent of civilian power systems.

Analysts noted that nuclear microreactors remain difficult to deploy at scale, while generating electricity independently can be more expensive than purchasing power from established utilities.

They also identified practical challenges involving emergency stockpiles, particularly medical supplies with limited shelf lives.

The analysis suggested that implementation could require clearer timelines, differentiated requirements for critical and nonessential services, and substantial long-term investment.

Although portions of the strategy build on existing military programs, the Pentagon has not publicly established that every installation can currently meet the proposed 90-day standard.

Funding requirements, construction schedules and deployment timelines for major infrastructure projects also remain unresolved.

Hegseth has described FORTRESS America as a means of ensuring that domestic military vulnerabilities do not prevent American forces from responding to threats overseas.

The strategy reflects a broader reassessment of homeland defense as emerging technologies allow adversaries to threaten electrical networks, communications systems and industrial production without necessarily conducting conventional military attacks on U.S. territory.

Parnell said the initiative represents an effort to prepare before those vulnerabilities become critical during an emergency.

He described FORTRESS as an insurance policy intended to ensure that the military can continue operating even if essential civilian systems fail.

The Pentagon’s immediate challenge will be translating the proposed requirements into working infrastructure, reliable stockpiles and manufacturing arrangements capable of supporting prolonged military operations.

If implemented as envisioned, the program would substantially expand the ability of U.S. military installations to operate independently during major disruptions, reducing their dependence on vulnerable civilian infrastructure and international supply networks.