According to a new program called FORTRESS, US bases should be able to operate independently for 90 days
Major military bases in the continental US will be expected to sustain essential operations for at least 90 days without external support under a new Pentagon strategy, Fox News has reported.
The autonomy target was set out in FORTRESS documents reviewed by the network, it said on Sunday. Critical military supplies would also require at least two qualified supply or production routes to guard against disruption.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the initiative last month. The US military has faced serious logistical disruption in the Middle East following Iranian strikes on American facilities and other sites used by US forces in retaliation for the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Fox News, which is generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s agenda, wrote that the US needed to be prepared for a contingency in which military action would “cripple power grids, disrupt supply chains and threaten critical infrastructure on American soil.”
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FORTRESS stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability. A founding memorandum signed by Hegseth last month identifies five pillars: energy independence, supply-chain resilience, strategic reserves, physical protection and cybersecurity, and resilience in space and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Read more US evacuating Middle East bases – NBC
Pentagon planners aim to reduce reliance on civilian infrastructure that could be severely damaged in a major armed conflict. Proposed options include small nuclear reactors and large battery banks to support base microgrids if external electricity supplies are cut. The program also envisages preparing civilian factories to switch to defense production in an emergency, alongside other measures.
The report comes less than two weeks before midterm elections in which polls suggest the ruling Republican Party could suffer significant losses. The Iran war and the resulting surge in fuel prices are major factors bolstering opposition candidates.
Trump’s rhetoric has fueled widespread expectations that the US could escalate the war with Iran shortly after the election, or even before it. According to NBC News, Washington has withdrawn some personnel from its Middle Eastern bases ahead of a possible renewed airstrike campaign.