The Pentagon’s new FORTRESS America program, formally established on September 30, 2026, aims to stockpile enough critical minerals, fuel, and munitions on American soil to keep fighting a major war even if cyberattacks and sabotage knock out factories and power grids at home. According to Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, the scale of this planned effort is “on par with what the DoD pursued during the Cold War.”
Background And History
During the Cold War, the Pentagon stored as much or more war matériel overseas, near anticipated battlefields in Eastern Europe or Northeast Asia. This strategy was part of the US military’s preparations for a potential conflict with the Soviet Union. The US declared the Truman Doctrine of “containment” of communism in 1947, launched the Marshall Plan in 1948 to assist Western Europe’s economic recovery, and founded the NATO military alliance in 1949. The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, marked by proxy wars, espionage, propaganda campaigns, and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons.
How It Works
The FORTRESS America program is designed to keep US forces operating if a conflict disrupts domestic power grids and manufacturing supply chains. It is the same program behind the Pentagon’s push for major bases to plan for 90 days without the grid. The program’s focus on protecting supplies inside the United States reflects growing concern that American factories could themselves become targets. China’s dominance in the processing of many critical minerals, including rare-earth magnets, poses a significant challenge to the US defense industry. The US produces less than 1% of the most common type of rare-earth magnet it uses, making it heavily reliant on foreign supply chains.
The Numbers
The US imported about $60 billion worth of critical minerals other than rare earths in 2025, including nickel, lithium, cobalt, graphite, and tungsten. The FORTRESS America program aims to stockpile enough materials to support US forces for 90 days. The scale of this effort is significant, with the Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark comparing it to the DoD’s efforts during the Cold War.
What It Means Now
The FORTRESS America program highlights the Pentagon’s shift in focus from overseas stockpiling to domestic reserves. This change in strategy reflects the growing concern about the vulnerability of US supply chains and the potential for cyberattacks and sabotage to disrupt domestic production. The program’s success will depend on the ability to secure critical minerals and mitigate the risks associated with foreign supply chains. As the US defense industry moves forward with this initiative, it will be important to monitor the progress and challenges that arise, particularly in light of the current global geopolitical landscape. As former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Wesley Clark noted, the Cold War may be over, but its legacy continues to shape US defense strategy.
Sources
- ‘On par with what the DoD pursued during the Cold War’: Pentagon’s war stockpile plan hits a minerals wall
- Cold War
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- Berlin Wall pieces go on display in northeast Arkansas’ National Cold War Center | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Photo: Gregory F. Maxwell <[email protected]> PGP:0xB0413BFA (CC BY-SA 3.0)
