Pentagon Orders 90-Day Grid-Independent Base Readiness

The Pentagon is developing a FORTRESS requirement that every major continental U.S. base sustain essential operations for 90 days without the civilian grid or outside supply, using microreactors, batteries and microgrids. Britain launched its Be Ready campaign urging households to prepare for three days of disruption, while its defence secretary warned adversaries could be able to attack by 2030.

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The FORTRESS requirement points to a multi-decade, potentially tens-to-hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars program in base-level power, storage and supply resilience, though no cost or timeline has been published. Nuclear microreactor developers, battery and microgrid suppliers, and defense contractors are the most direct beneficiaries, building on the Army's up-to-$2.2 billion microreactor awards. Mandates for dual-sourced supply paths, strategic reserves of munitions, minerals, electronics and spare parts, and a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network would pull demand toward defense industrial and critical-mineral suppliers. The Volt Typhoon intrusions into U.S. energy, water and communications networks frame the plan as a response to cyber and hybrid threats against infrastructure. Britain's preparedness campaign and European 72-hour guidance show the same resilience theme spreading across Western governments, but the effects on consumer staples and household retailers are likely to be modest.