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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Most U.S. military bases will need to be able to run independently for at least three months should they be cut off from external supplies in the event of a conflict, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a recent memo.
Hegseth unveiled the so-called Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability (FORTRESS) initiative on September 30, dubbing it "the nation's insurance policy" to make sure the U.S. would still be able to obtain the materials it needs and carry out operations if traditional supply chains were cut off.
The defense secretary wrote in his memo that the initiative is based on five pillars: energy independence; supply chain and defense industrial base resilience; a strategic defense reserve; installation hardening and cyber resilience; and resilience in space and spectrum.
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Hegseth added that FORTRESS will make sure the country cannot be "starved out, shut down, or cut off."
Lessons From Global Conflicts and Sabotage Risks
The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022, has thrown the importance of civilian power stations and electrical grids into sharp focus, both for the general population and for military operations during a full-scale war. NATO countries in Europe have also reported a surge in so-called "hybrid warfare" attacks often attributed to Russia, which frequently target logistics or sabotaging vital infrastructure like data cables and pipelines.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries have compounded global concerns about fuel supplies, pushing up gas and diesel prices already elevated by the U.S.-led war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway where one-fifth of the world's oil transits.
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'Ambitious' Goals and 90-Day Standalone Standard
It's not clear how expensive the project will be or how long it will take, but a senior U.S. defense official has conceded some parts could take years to slot into place despite some programs already being in motion, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, described some of the FORTRESS goals as "extremely ambitious."
U.S. military bases will be prepared to keep functioning without external support for at least 90 days as part of this plan, Fox News Digital reported on Sunday.
This includes keeping electricity flowing, having enough fuel and water to operate and being able to communicate for military operations, even if civilian infrastructure is taken out, according to the report, which added that all major U.S. military facilities in the continental U.S. will be held to this 90-day standard.
Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email.
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"FORTRESS is strategic deterrence in action, ensuring our defenses are hardened, proactive, and ready," Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X on Sunday. "I created FORTRESS America because we can no longer rely on two oceans to protect us. That outdated assumption no longer reflects the threats we face."
He added: "President Trump and Secretary Hegseth understand this and have already paved the way with Golden Dome and a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere, including Greenland and Panama. All of it reflects a fundamental shift in how we defend America. War has evolved, the threats have evolved, and our defenses must evolve with them."
Hegseth's September memo ordered Pentagon teams to carve out a dedicated office within 30 days, or by October 30. The FORTRESS office will report to the Pentagon's Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, Michael Duffey.
As part of the plan, military bases may have portable nuclear reactors, large battery stores and smaller grids able to unpair from the civilian electrical grid, Fox News Digital reported.
"The next conflict will likely be fought on multiple fronts," Parnell told the outlet. "Look at the geopolitics behind any major war. When that happens, global supply chains will break."
Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and the China Factor
The U.S. depends on certain rare earths and critical mineral imports from China to make some of its most advanced military equipment, including precision-guided missiles. In 2024, Beijing imposed restrictions on its exports of gallium and germanium, both of which are needed to manufacture military-grade electronics.
A July 2026 executive order signed by President Donald Trump said the U.S. must source vital components for military equipment and critical components from inside the country or from allies.
The administration, while softening some of the language from previous governments, has labeled China the U.S.'s "most capable strategic competitor."
The U.S. has warned Beijing and Washington could clash over the fate of Taiwan, should China move to reclaim the island that has been self-governing for decades. China aims to be able to invade Taiwan by 2027, according to the U.S. Annual Threat Assessment, although it stresses this doesn't mean Beijing would enact any plans by this date.
U.S. intelligence agencies have also previously warned that China was trying to place hackers within American critical infrastructure, such as electrical grids and water supplies, to be activated in the case of a war with the U.S.
"Our adversaries are going to start with making it hard to get on base, and they’ll go for the softest targets they can, which won’t be military," Ravi Chaudhary, a former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. "It will be public works."
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Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Anthony Murray and Rebecca Flood.
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