Pentagon plan sets 90-day resilience goal for major bases

A 90-day operating standard

The Pentagon’s FORTRESS initiative sets a requirement for every major military installation in the continental United States to maintain essential operations for at least 90 days without outside support. The standard covers electricity, water, fuel and communications needed to keep military activities running if civilian infrastructure is disrupted.

The initiative addresses the military’s dependence on public power grids and commercial supply chains. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said relying on ordinary municipal infrastructure creates an unacceptable national-defense risk because power failures could affect communications, water, logistics, manufacturing and command operations.

Fox News reported that the requirement is intended for a major conflict that could damage power systems, interrupt deliveries and threaten critical infrastructure within the United States.

Independent power and strategic reserves

FORTRESS envisions portable nuclear reactors, large battery systems and local microgrids. A microgrid could separate a military installation from the civilian electrical network and continue supplying power during a prolonged outage. The Pentagon’s aim is for mission-critical power to have independent and backup sources.

The initiative extends beyond electricity. The Pentagon is preparing alternative supply chains and strategic reserves of fuel, munitions and other essential materials. It is also laying groundwork for civilian factories to switch to defense production during a crisis.

The 90-day standard broadens earlier Pentagon plans to reduce major installations’ reliance on civilian power. Under FORTRESS, resilience would include the wider set of services and supplies required to sustain military operations, rather than power generation alone.