Pentagon Prepares US Military Bases to Operate Independently for 90 Days in Major War

The Pentagon is preparing US military bases to operate for at least 90 days without outside support if a major war disrupts power grids, supply chains and critical infrastructure, Fox News Digital reported, citing documents it reviewed.

The plan, known as FORTRESS, would require major military bases in the continental US to secure their own electricity, water, fuel, and communications.

“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.

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

FORTRESS calls for portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids to keep bases running during prolonged power outages.

Preparing for a multi-front war

The Pentagon also plans to stockpile weapons, fuel, spare parts, and other essential supplies, while preparing civilian factories to switch to military production during a crisis.

“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.

The plan would require at least two qualified supply or production sources for critical military needs to reduce reliance on any single supplier or factory.

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It also includes measures to protect military communications, navigation, and satellite systems against GPS jamming and disruptions to space-based infrastructure.

Rethinking homeland defense

The initiative reflects a shift in US military planning toward the possibility that a major conflict could disrupt infrastructure supporting military operations inside the country.

“I realized that a lot of the way we think about homeland defense was built around the antiquated assumption that two oceans would protect us,” Parnell said.

“President Trump understands that world is gone, and he’s already paved the way for new thinking: Golden Dome, a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere, Greenland, Panama,” he added.

The Pentagon has already announced plans to reduce major military installations’ dependence on civilian power grids. FORTRESS extends those efforts to water, fuel, communications, industrial production, and other essential services.

Parnell described the initiative as insurance against a major conflict disrupting the infrastructure and supply networks on which US forces rely.

“You don’t want to be making these decisions in the middle of a global multi-front conflict. We have to have a plan,” he said.