“The model that we’re trying to drive on is not me having to go back up on Capitol Hill with my hand out,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment Dale Marks told Breaking Defense.
FORTRESS rulesLaws and budgetsBase microgridsTalkNeutral tone
Marks interview: FY2028 budget request expected to include a 'wedge' to start NGAB; no cost estimate yet; selection by a panel, president 'might be involved'; base must prove within first 24 months it can run 30 continuous days fully off the civilian grid. Surfaced 2026-10-30 AM.
Next Great American BaseFORTRESS rulesLaws and budgetsTalkNeutral tone
ASW(EI&E) Dale Marks at Association of Defense Communities convention, Tampa: FORTRESS installations to use public-private model and be designed to run on own infrastructure for 30 days fully detached from external utilities (vs. reported 90-day figure); NGAB prototype with microgrids + small reactor, air-gapped networks, closed-loop water; lessons to be exported to legacy bases. Surfaced 2026-10-29 PM.
Next Great American BaseFORTRESS rulesBase microgridsSmall reactorsTalkReassuring
Crane is one of four Navy installations chosen to advance private-sector proposals for large-scale energy (incl. SMRs) and AI data center infrastructure on federal land; tied to FORTRESS. Surfaced 2026-10-29 AM.
Small reactorsNext Great American BaseFORTRESS rulesBase microgridsActionReassuring
Fact-check: FORTRESS is real but DoD has not officially confirmed the 90-day requirement; Parnell shared the Fox story without confirming it; Snopes rated 'mostly true' and awaits DoD reply. Surfaced 2026-10-26 PM.
FORTRESS documents (via Fox News Digital) call for major bases to operate independently for at least 90 days; Parnell calls civilian infrastructure reliance an 'intolerable risk'.
Huntsville Center’s PREP serves as the Department of War’s premier authority on continuous, high-availability power infrastructure, ensuring that the electrical systems backing America's critical national security sites achieve maximum uptime and fault tolerance.
Senior defense official: FORTRESS energy pillar is the first priority; installation assessments of ~500 CONUS bases underway to determine cost; could take decades.