FORTRESS would extend preparations beyond electricity to water, fuel and communications, while requiring backup supply routes to keep essential military operations running.
The Pentagon’s FORTRESS initiative would require every major military installation in the continental United States to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days, under documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. The standard covers electricity, water, fuel and communications—not just backup power.
The Pentagon had already announced plans to reduce major bases' dependence on civilian electricity grids. FORTRESS extends those preparations to other essential services and the suppliers that keep military operations running. Civilian grids support military communications, logistics and weapons manufacturing.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said relying on civilian municipal infrastructure for national defence was an “intolerable risk”. The initiative is intended to preserve operations if a major conflict disrupts those systems.
For electricity, FORTRESS envisages portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids—local electricity networks that can disconnect from the civilian grid. It also includes preparations to maintain communications and navigation when satellite navigation signals are jammed or other space-based systems are disrupted.
For the military’s most critical supply needs, the initiative requires at least two qualified supply or production pathways. The aim is to prevent the loss of one supplier, factory or industrial capability from interrupting military operations.
FORTRESS also calls for reserves of munitions, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies. These stocks would support operations if international supply routes were disrupted or domestic manufacturers could not meet wartime demand. Reserve targets would depend on how quickly supplies were used and how long manufacturers needed to replace them.
The first National Security Strategy in two decades commits to deeper European cooperation as Canada and the European Union discuss closer ties.
2 min
The Pentagon plans to identify commercial factories that could switch to defence production through the Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, an existing initiative incorporated into FORTRESS. The planned work includes assessing manufacturers' capabilities and agreeing technical specifications, cybersecurity protections, contracts and conversion procedures before a conflict begins.
Implementation dates, costs and the level of readiness already achieved remain unspecified. The 90-day standard is a requirement, not a finding that bases can already meet it.
FORTRESS also calls for recurring industrial stress tests and mobilization exercises to assess whether manufacturers could keep producing through prolonged disruptions.
Ukraine’s ombudsman plans food and medical aid for about 2,000 people in the Russian-occupied city on October 30, with mine clearance still under way.
3 min
The change applies across pension schemes from 28 October 2026. Where the member died before 75 and had enough remaining allowance, delays beyond two years no longer make lump sums taxable.
4 min
