Pentagon's FORTRESS plan would have US military bases run 90 days without outside support

The Pentagon is requiring most U.S. military bases to be able to run for at least 90 days without outside support if a major war cripples power grids and supply chains, under a new initiative called FORTRESS. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled it on September 30 in a memo, which lists five pillars, including energy independence, a strategic defense reserve and installation hardening. Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital say every major continental base would need independent electricity, water, fuel and communications, possibly through portable nuclear reactors, large batteries and local grids. Civilian factories would be readied to switch to defense production, backed by stockpiles of ammunition, fuel, critical minerals and medical supplies, and critical needs would require at least two qualified suppliers. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department does not want to rely on standard civilian municipal infrastructure to run national defense.

Right-leaning outlets Daily Mail and Fox News both headline a doomsday plan, rely on documents Fox News Digital reviewed, and feature Parnell's statement. The Daily Mail stresses reactors, batteries and wars reaching American soil, while Fox adds a note on Project Meridian, a 120-day study led by Emil Michael with Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich. Left-leaning outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had. Newsweek, the independent outlet, takes a distinct angle: it explains the acronym, centers Hegseth's memo and its pillars, and sets the plan against the Russia-Ukraine war, hybrid attacks in NATO countries and fuel supply concerns, without Parnell in its excerpt.