Why is the Pentagon reportedly preparing major military installations to operate for 90 days without outside electricity, water, fuel, or communications? And why is Britain warning that artificial intelligence will likely help attackers strike its critical infrastructure by 2028?

These questions deserve more than social media speculation. They arise amid wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, mounting tensions with communist China, and cyberattacks that have reached everything from American water utilities to European supermarket refrigeration systems. The warnings justify preparation, not panic. They also force a question Americans can no longer ignore: What happens when the systems sustaining everyday life suddenly stop working?

The Pentagon Takes the Threat Seriously

On October 25, Fox News Digital reported that the Pentagon’s FORTRESS initiative calls for major military installations across the continental United States to sustain essential operations for at least 90 days without outside support. The report rests on internal documents; the 90-day directive itself has not been released. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called reliance on civilian municipal infrastructure for national defense “an intolerable risk.”

The strategic logic is sound. If an adversary disables the electrical grid supporting a military installation, America’s defense cannot simply wait for utility crews to restore service. During World War II, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans helped shield the American homeland. Parnell put it bluntly on X: “We can no longer rely on two oceans to protect us.” Now cyberattacks cross those oceans in seconds.

Britain Warns about AI

On November 3, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, assessed that AI-powered malware is highly likely to feature in a ransomware attack against British critical infrastructure by 2028. The agency’s chief, Richard Horne, warned that AI lets attackers exploit longstanding cybersecurity weaknesses “at a scale that was once unimaginable.”

Horne was not predicting a nationwide blackout. His agency judges that hostile actors’ adoption of AI is “highly likely” to increase the scale and efficiency of their operations, including ransomware. The danger extends to America’s electricity, water, transportation, health care, and communications networks, which depend on interconnected digital systems, including aging equipment never designed for today’s threats.

In “Preparing for World War III,” I examined scenarios in which attacks against civilian infrastructure could bring the consequences of a distant war directly into American communities. In “The New AI Cold War,” I warned that artificial intelligence could further empower hostile governments and other malicious actors. Recent events confirm those concerns.

The Threat Is Already at Our Doorstep

I have written here before about cyber threats against American water systems. In a March 2024 letter, the White House and Environmental Protection Agency warned governors that hackers tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were targeting water facilities. Later that year, an EPA inspector general review identified 97 drinking water systems serving approximately 26.6 million people with critical or high-risk cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

China poses an even broader strategic challenge. Federal agencies assess with high confidence that Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Volt Typhoon gained persistent access to American infrastructure networks, including communications, energy, transportation, and water systems. Their purpose: pre-positioning to disrupt essential services during a future confrontation. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in January 2024 that “China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc” if and when Beijing decides “the time has come to strike.”

Then came the refrigeration attacks. In October, hackers interfered with refrigeration controls at approximately 700 French supermarkets. Food spoiled, and authorities investigated reports of fires. On November 2, a second wave hit stores in Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and other countries. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that American military investigators, including a Cyber Command unit, were examining unusual August freezer failures at commissaries on at least six U.S. installations. The American incidents remain suspected, not confirmed, cyberattacks, and investigators have not established a common perpetrator or any role for AI.

Still, the European attacks expose a serious vulnerability. Danfoss, the Danish controller manufacturer, said most affected units were older products no longer receiving security updates. Essential services now depend on networked equipment whose security too often goes neglected until something fails.

What Happens to American Families?

Consider an extended electrical outage in your community. Refrigeration stops. Water pumping and treatment falter. Gas stations and electronic payment systems fail. Communications and medical services buckle. The blow falls hardest on those who depend on refrigerated medications or electrically powered medical equipment.

Such emergencies need not involve foreign adversaries. Hurricanes, floods, and winter storms already demonstrate how quickly essential services can disappear. The European Union recommends that households prepare for at least 72 hours of self-sufficiency, and FEMA encourages emergency supplies and family communication plans. The Pentagon’s reported 90-day requirement serves a different purpose. It does not mean every American household needs three months of supplies, much less that catastrophe will arrive within 90 days.

Preparedness without Panic

Washington must strengthen critical-infrastructure cybersecurity and ensure military installations can continue operating when civilian services fail. State and local governments should test emergency plans for water utilities, hospitals, and communications. Private operators must replace or secure aging equipment and maintain dependable recovery capabilities.

Families should begin with FEMA’s basic recommendations: water, nonperishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries, essential documents, and a practical family communication plan. Sensible preparation need not involve extraordinary expense or panic buying.

A Christian Duty to Prepare and Serve

Scripture commends foresight. Proverbs 22:3 teaches that “the prudent sees danger and hides himself.” First Timothy 5:8 charges us with responsibility to provide for our households. Yet Christian preparedness cannot stop at our front doors. Philippians 2:4 calls believers to look to the interests of others. Churches should identify vulnerable neighbors, and plan how their facilities and volunteers might assist during an emergency. Preparation that guards only our own comfort falls short; it must equip us to serve when others are in need.

Nor should Christians turn every international warning into a prophetic timetable. Second Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

The Pentagon’s preparations, Britain’s warning, and documented cyber intrusions demand serious attention. They do not prove that World War III or nationwide collapse is imminent. They do demonstrate that America’s dependence on vulnerable systems carries real consequences.

Government must strengthen resilience. Families should prepare reasonably. Christians should be ready to serve.

We cannot predict the next emergency. We can face it informed, prepared, and faithful.