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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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The announcement of the Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative has drawn attention to the U.S. military's strategies aiming to bolster its energy resilience amid concerns over grid reliability, supply-chain disruptions and other potential threats.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled the Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability (FORTRESS) initiative on September 30 in a memo, dubbing it "the nation's insurance policy" to ensure the U.S. would still be able to obtain the materials it needs and carry out operations if traditional supply chains were cut off.
The Pentagon's focus on resilience mirrors a broader emphasis on preparedness seen in other countries. Last week in Britain, officials encouraged households to keep basic emergency supplies available for short-term disruptions such as storms, infrastructure failures and power outages, as part of its Be Ready campaign.
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Energy independence is among the five pillars mentioned in the FORTRESS initiative. The U.S. Army has already been pursuing that objective through its Janus Program, which aims to deploy nuclear microreactors at military sites. Five bases have already been selected for the first wave of deployments, with the reactors designed to provide reliable power during grid outages, cyberattacks, extreme weather and other emergencies.
The Janus program was not announced as part of FORTRESS. Rather, it is a separate Army effort unveiled last year. Officials have also not characterized either Janus or FORTRESS as a response to any specific imminent threat. Instead, both initiatives are aimed at improving energy resilience and ensuring critical military operations can continue during disruptions.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon via email for comment on Thursday.
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Which US Military Bases Are Getting Nuclear Microreactors?
Five U.S. military bases have been selected as sites where nuclear microreactors will be built as part of the Army's Janus program. The Army announced the sites and vendors in August.
The sites poised to add them are:
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina
- Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Fort Hood, Texas
- Fort Benning, Georgia
- Fort Drum, New York
The Army's goal is for the first of these microreactors to be operational by September 2028.
What Is the Pentagon’s FORTRESS America Plan?
Modern conflicts such as the long-running Russia-Ukraine tumult have underscored how critical infrastructure is increasingly targeted during wartime, including power stations, electrical grids and oil refineries. The FORTRESS initiative is designed to help ensure U.S. military installations can continue operating if similar disruptions affect domestic energy or supply networks.
In addition to energy independence, the other four pillars of FORTRESS are: supply-chain and defense industrial base resilience; a strategic defense reserve; installation hardening and cyber resilience; and resilience in space and spectrum.
Why Does the Pentagon Want Military Bases to Operate for 90 Days?
The 90-day goal reflects concerns that future conflicts could involve sustained attacks on critical infrastructure and supply networks. By improving energy resilience and stockpiling key resources, the Pentagon aims to ensure military bases can continue operating for months even if the commercial grid or traditional supply chains are disrupted.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, described some of the FORTRESS goals as "extremely ambitious."
The initiative could take years to enact.
What Is the Army’s Janus Nuclear Microreactor Program?
The U.S. Army announced the Janus program, "a next-generation nuclear power program that will deliver resilient, secure, and assured energy to support national defense installations and critical missions," in October 2025.
The program will deploy commercial nuclear microreactors at military installations with the goal of providing military bases with a reliable electricity source that operates independently of the commercial power grid in case of failure because of cyberattacks, extreme weather, physical attacks or other disruptions.
Eventually, the Army plans to build more than 20 nuclear microreactors across military sites, according to the August announcement from the Department of Defense.
How Do Nuclear Microreactors Work at Military Bases?
Microreactors are essentially small nuclear power plants that can produce electricity and heat on a smaller scale than traditional commercial nuclear reactors.
The reactors are designed to provide a steady, around-the-clock source of electricity that does not depend on fuel deliveries or the commercial power grid, helping military installations continue operating during outages, cyberattacks, extreme weather or other emergencies.
In addition to announcing the military sites where the microreactors will be built, the U.S. Army also unveiled the microreactor vendors in its August announcement. The vendors building the reactors are: Antares Nuclear Inc. at Fort Bragg in North Carolina; BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC at Fort Campbell in Kentucky; General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood in Texas; Radiant Industries Inc. at Fort Benning in Georgia; and Westinghouse Government Services at Fort Drum in New York.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kate Nalepinski and Edward T. Cummins
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