The Pentagon is developing plans to enable major U.S. military installations to operate independently for up to 90 days during a national emergency or wartime crisis, according to documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The initiative would allow military bases to continue functioning without relying on civilian electricity networks, international supply chains or outside deliveries of essential resources, including fuel and water.
The preparations reflect growing concerns about potential disruptions to infrastructure that supports American military operations.
Under the proposed strategy, military installations would strengthen their ability to generate electricity, maintain critical supplies and sustain operations even if surrounding civilian systems became unavailable.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell emphasized that reliable electricity has become essential to modern warfare.
“Power is combat now,” Parnell said.
“Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines and just basic military command structures.”
The plans envision several major changes to how American military installations obtain and manage energy.
Among the technologies under consideration are portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage systems and independent electrical networks known as microgrids.
These systems would allow military facilities to generate and distribute power without depending entirely on civilian utility companies.
Microgrids could also be disconnected from broader electricity networks during emergencies, helping installations maintain operations if regional power infrastructure were damaged or disrupted.
Portable nuclear reactors represent another potential source of dependable energy, particularly for installations requiring substantial electricity over extended periods.
Combined with battery storage, the technologies could provide military commanders with additional options for maintaining essential operations during a crisis.
However, the documents described a planning initiative rather than confirming that every installation has already received these systems.
The Pentagon is also examining how military bases could maintain adequate supplies without routine deliveries.
The proposed preparations include strategic reserves of ammunition, fuel, critical minerals and medical supplies.
Rather than relying solely on normal peacetime consumption estimates, planners would calculate stockpile requirements according to the demands of wartime operations.
That approach is intended to help military installations sustain personnel, equipment and operational activities during prolonged disruptions.
Water supplies would also be a central concern, given the possibility that military facilities could lose access to civilian water infrastructure.
Maintaining essential resources for 90 days would require installations to account for both daily needs and potentially elevated demands during combat operations.
The initiative extends beyond military bases to the American industrial sector.
According to the documents described in the report, civilian factories are being identified for possible conversion to defense-related production during a national emergency.
Such preparations would provide the Pentagon with options for expanding the production of military equipment and supplies if existing defense manufacturers could not meet wartime demand.
The approach recognizes that military readiness depends not only on troops and weapons but also on the industrial systems responsible for sustaining operations.
Factories, transportation networks and energy infrastructure all play roles in supplying American forces.
A major disruption affecting those systems could create operational challenges even for military installations located far from an active battlefield.
The Pentagon’s proposed preparations would therefore emphasize self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on vulnerable outside networks.
The 90-day objective represents a substantial operational requirement, particularly for installations that currently depend on regular deliveries and civilian utilities.
Fox News did not identify the projected cost of implementing the initiative or establish when every major military installation would achieve the proposed level of independence.
It also did not identify a specific imminent attack or emergency that prompted the preparations.
Instead, the measures are designed around the possibility of severe infrastructure or supply disruptions during future crises.
For military planners, the central objective is ensuring that American forces can continue operating even when the systems supporting them are interrupted.
Parnell’s warning underscores the Pentagon’s focus on electricity as a foundation of military readiness, alongside ammunition, fuel, water and industrial production.
The initiative would mark a significant shift toward preparing U.S. military installations to sustain prolonged operations without outside assistance.
