The Pentagon is developing a requirement for every major US military base to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days, just days after the British government launched a campaign urging families to stockpile three days of supplies. While neither government has signaled an imminent war, both efforts point to deepening anxiety about disruptions to power grids and supply chains from cyberattacks, sabotage and other hybrid warfare linked to Russia, China and Iran.
The Pentagon's initiative, known as FORTRESS, was unveiled by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September. A follow-up memo directs installations to generate their own power, water, fuel and communications, independent of civilian networks. Plans include portable nuclear reactors and large-scale battery storage. 'Power is combat now,' Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said, arguing that without electricity, communications, logistics and basic command structures fail.
The 90-day goal extends beyond the original FORTRESS mandate. The plan also calls for strategic reserves of munitions and critical minerals and aims to identify commercial factories that could switch to defense production. The Pentagon has not released a cost estimate, but officials acknowledge it could take decades and cost tens or hundreds of billions of dollars.
Britain's Be Ready campaign, launched Oct. 22, recommends households keep three liters of water per person per day, nonperishable food, flashlights, power banks and cash. The government described it as the first stage of a three-year preparedness campaign. In a Telegraph op-ed, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that adversaries could have the force to attack by 2030, leaving NATO 'a little over 1,000 days to prepare.'
The security warnings are not new. Britain's 2025 National Security Strategy named Russia the most acute threat, China a persistent challenge, and flagged Iranian hostile activity. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre handled over 200 cyber incidents affecting critical infrastructure in the last year, about 75 percent of which the NCSC's Richard Horne linked to state actors, specifically Russia, China and Iran.
The European Commission unveiled a similar preparedness strategy in March 2025, calling for EU residents to keep 72 hours of emergency supplies. The article concludes with a warning that the next conflict may not start on a battlefield but with the power going out.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The shift from general advisory to explicit stockpiling and infrastructure independence signals a concrete change in how Western governments assess the risk of hybrid warfare.
- It highlights the vulnerability of essential services like power, water and payments to cyberattacks and sabotage, bringing potential disruptions into everyday life.
- The military's goal of 90-day self-sufficiency points to fears of protracted conflict or sustained supply-chain attacks that could cripple standard logistics.
Background
Neither the Pentagon nor the British government has linked the FORTRESS initiative or Be Ready campaign to a specific imminent conflict. However, both are built on a series of recent assessments. In the US, intelligence agencies warned in 2024 that Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Volt Typhoon had infiltrated critical infrastructure networks. In the UK, the 2025 National Security Strategy identified Russia, China and Iran as primary threats. FORTRESS itself was announced in a State of the Force address by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September. Britain has published household preparedness guidance since 2024, and the European Commission proposed a 72-hour stockpile guideline in March 2025, suggesting a broader Western trend.
Key Perspectives
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell: 'Power is combat now,' arguing grid independence is critical for maintaining military command structures and logistics against cyber and supply-chain threats.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting: Britain and its allies have about 1,000 days to prepare for potential attacks by 2030, making civilian preparedness an essential part of national defense.
NCSC Chief Executive Richard Horne: Links the majority of cyber incidents on UK critical infrastructure to state actors, specifically naming Russia, China and Iran.
What to Watch
- Cost and timeline details for the Pentagon's 90-day base plan, which could involve hundreds of billions of dollars and take decades.
- The rollout and public adoption of the UK's three-year Be Ready campaign.
- Whether other NATO countries adopt similar formal household preparedness guidance.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 3 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedThe Pentagon has ordered bases to achieve 90-day grid independence.Fortune | FORTUNE: “The Pentagon is developing a requirement that every major military installation in the continental U.S. be able to sustain essential operations on its own for at least 90 days”
- SupportedThe UK is telling families to stockpile supplies for three days.Fortune | FORTUNE: “Britain is telling families to keep canned food, bottled water and cash on hand to get through three days of disruption.”
- Partly supportedThe US and UK pushes are uncoordinated.Fortune | FORTUNE: “The two efforts aren’t known to be coordinated”
- Partly supportedThe Pentagon is developing a 90-day self-sufficiency requirement for every major US military base.Fortune | FORTUNE: “The Pentagon is developing a requirement that every major military installation in the continental U.S. be able to sustain essential operations on its own for at least 90 days”
- Partly supportedA follow-up memo directs installations to generate their own power, water, fuel and communications independently of civilian networks.Fortune | FORTUNE: “A follow-up memo laid out plans for a dedicated program office. The 90-day standard goes further than that original goal, extending self-sufficiency beyond electricity to water, fuel and communications.”
- SupportedPentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said, “Power is combat now.”Fortune | FORTUNE: ““Power is combat now,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell, who Fox said led the FORTRESS initiative, told the outlet.”
- Partly supportedOfficials acknowledge the plan could take decades and cost tens or hundreds of billions of dollars.Fortune | FORTUNE: “A senior defense official told reporters Oct. 20 that officials are still assessing the needs of roughly 500 bases in the continental U.S. and that fully meeting the goal could take decades, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The magazine estimated the cost could run into the tens of billions of dollars, if not hundreds of billions.”
- SupportedStreeting wrote that Britain and its NATO allies had “a little over 1,000 days to prepare.”Fortune | FORTUNE: “That leaves Britain and its NATO allies a little over 1,000 days to prepare, he wrote.”
- Partly supportedStreeting warned that adversaries could have the force to attack by 2030.Fortune | FORTUNE: “Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that adversaries could have the force strength and war economy to attack by 2030.”
- Partly supportedThe NCSC handled over 200 cyber incidents affecting critical infrastructure in the last year.Fortune | FORTUNE: “Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre handled more than 200 cyber incidents affecting critical infrastructure and its supporting ecosystem between June 2025 and May 2026.”
- Partly supportedAbout 75 percent of those incidents were linked to state actors, specifically Russia, China and Iran.Fortune | FORTUNE: “NCSC chief executive Richard Horne said in June that about 75% of those incidents were believed to be linked to state actors, naming Russia, China and Iran.”
- Partly supportedThe European Commission’s strategy called for residents to keep 72 hours of emergency supplies.Fortune | FORTUNE: “In March 2025, the European Commission unveiled a preparedness strategy calling for guidelines to help EU residents keep at least 72 hours of emergency supplies.”
