Dan Bongino has a message for American households: do not wait for an emergency to start thinking about food, water and essential supplies. His recent comments have attracted attention as the Pentagon develops a separate military resilience programme designed to protect US defence installations from disruptions to electricity, communications and supply chains.

The timing has raised questions about whether the two developments are connected and whether Americans should be preparing for something more serious. However, the details reveal an important distinction between Bongino’s household preparedness advice and the military’s increasingly ambitious plans.

Dan Bongino urges Americans to prepare for possible emergencies

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino discussed household emergency preparedness on The Dan Bongino Show in late October, encouraging Americans to take practical steps to protect their families against potential disruptions to essential services.

His recommendations included keeping emergency food, water, batteries and a radio available, alongside equipment for collecting and filtering water.

Bongino specifically advised listeners:

“Have yourself an emergency radio, have yourself some batteries, get yourself some emergency food, get yourself a rain collection and water filtration, some filtration tablets,”

He also urged people not to postpone preparations, adding:

“Get your stuff today. Please. Do it for your family.”

Bongino explained that emergency supplies might remain unused for years, but having them available could make a significant difference if a household suddenly lost access to basic services.

He described the difference between preparing in advance and discovering that essential supplies were unavailable during an emergency.

“The best day of your life, you don’t need them. And in 10 years, you’re like, ‘Ah, I wasted a thousand bucks or whatever,’” he said.

He then presented the alternative scenario:

“The worst day in your life, God forbid, is if something were to happen. The worst day in your life is your kids are looking you in the face like, ‘Hey, Dad, Mom, where’s the water?’ ‘Well, we don’t have any.’”

Despite the urgency of his message, Bongino stressed that preparing for emergencies should not be confused with panic.

“There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. It’s not panicking or anything like that,” he said.

Pentagon UAP Stories and Current Defense Developments
The Pentagon has also attracted attention through its handling of unusual aerial phenomena and related government records. Readers following other Pentagon stories can explore our Pentagon UAP files black triangle report for another recent development.

Why Bongino is talking about 30 days of emergency supplies

One detail that has attracted particular attention is Bongino’s reference to maintaining enough food, water and power for 30 days.

According to Mediaite, Bongino discussed a longer preparedness period after referring to warnings from the UK and elsewhere. His recommendation goes beyond the basic three-day emergency-supply guidance currently provided by the US government.

The distinction matters because a 30-day household supply is Bongino’s recommendation, not a newly announced federal requirement.

The US government’s Ready.gov emergency preparedness guidance advises households to maintain at least three days of basic supplies.

Its recommendations include:

• One gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation.
• At least three days of non-perishable food.
• A battery-powered or hand-crank emergency radio.
• Extra batteries and a flashlight.
• First-aid supplies and a whistle.
• Sanitation products and equipment for sheltering in place.
• A manual can opener where appropriate.
• Local maps and other essential household supplies.

Ready.gov also encourages people to adapt their emergency kits according to their individual circumstances and requirements.

Bongino returned to the subject during his October 28 programme, addressing the attention generated by his earlier comments. He expressed concern about the possibility of cyberattacks causing regional brownouts or blackouts but rejected the suggestion that he was predicting an imminent catastrophe.

Describing his position, he said he was “not a doomer or a panic” and explained that emergency preparedness was something he had discussed many times before.

What is FORTRESS America? Pentagon’s new military resilience initiative explained

While Bongino’s recommendations focus on individual households, the Pentagon is pursuing a much larger preparedness effort.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced FORTRESS America on September 30, 2026, during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

FORTRESS stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability.

The initiative is designed to strengthen the independence and resilience of US military installations and the wider defence industrial base.

According to the US Army’s account of Hegseth’s announcement, the programme aims to align military basing and infrastructure projects around greater operational independence.

Hegseth said military installations would eventually be able to operate using their own power, while also strengthening their protection against external threats and reducing vulnerabilities in critical supply chains.

The initiative covers five principal areas:

1. Energy independence.
2. Supply-chain and defence-industrial-base resilience.
3. A strategic defence reserve.
4. Installation hardening and cyber resilience.
5. Resilience in space and the electromagnetic spectrum.

The Pentagon began moving towards implementation shortly after the announcement. On October 7, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey directed senior officials to begin operationalising the FORTRESS America Program Office, according to a memorandum obtained by DefenseScoop.

Why the Pentagon wants military bases independent of civilian power grids

One of FORTRESS America’s central objectives is to ensure that military installations can continue operating even if the civilian infrastructure surrounding them experiences serious disruption.

Military bases depend on electricity for communications, command centres, logistics and numerous other essential operations. A prolonged interruption could therefore create vulnerabilities extending beyond the immediate loss of power.

Hegseth explained the Pentagon’s objective during his September address:

“If an adversary takes down the grid by cyberattack, by sabotage, by any means, our bases stay lit. Our aircraft keep flying. Our command centers never go dark,”

The plan is intended to reduce dependence on civilian electricity networks through greater energy independence and resilient power systems.

The Pentagon has been examining technologies and infrastructure options including microgrids and large-scale battery storage. Portable nuclear reactors have also been identified in reporting as one technology being considered as part of the broader energy-resilience effort.

However, FORTRESS is not limited to electricity.

Rare earths, semiconductors and critical military supplies

Another major priority involves reducing vulnerabilities in the defence supply chain.

Hegseth specifically identified rare earths, specialty metals, semiconductors and propellants as critical materials and components that the United States needs to secure closer to home.

The initiative also includes plans for deeper strategic reserves of essential resources required to sustain military operations during severe disruptions.

These include:

• Munitions.
• Fuel.
• Medicine.
• Blood.

The Pentagon is also focusing on protecting installations against cyber intrusions, sabotage and drone threats.

Its resilience plans extend to satellites and communications systems, including infrastructure operating in space and across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Hegseth described the wider initiative as a form of national insurance, rather than an indication that the United States was seeking military conflict.

“We are not looking for war, but we will be prepared if one comes,” he said.

Pentagon’s reported 90-day military base preparedness target raises questions

Perhaps the most discussed detail surrounding FORTRESS America is a reported plan for major US military installations to remain operational for at least 90 days without outside support.

Fox News Digital reported on October 25 that Pentagon planning documents called for military bases to be prepared for 90 days of independent operation if civilian infrastructure and external support became unavailable.

The reported planning covers essential services and resources, including electricity, water, fuel and communications. It also involves measures such as microgrids, battery storage and other resilient power systems.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell explained the reasoning behind reducing reliance on civilian infrastructure in comments to Fox News Digital:

“We don’t want to rely on standard civilian municipal infrastructure to run our national defense. We just simply can’t. It’s an intolerable risk.”

However, the 90-day figure requires an important qualification.

The FORTRESS initiative itself is officially documented, and the Pentagon has publicly outlined its intention to strengthen the independence of military installations.

But the specific 90-day requirement has been reported through Pentagon planning documents rather than clearly stated as a finalized requirement in the publicly available September 30 announcement.

A fact-check published by NCIJ Network examined the claim and noted that although Fox News reported the 90-day target and quoted Parnell, his sharing of the report did not explicitly confirm that specific requirement.

The outlet also said it had sought further clarification from the Defense Department.

Therefore, the distinction is important: the Pentagon’s broader resilience initiative is confirmed, while the specific 90-day operational target remains a reported detail requiring further official clarification.

Bongino compares military preparedness with preparing individual homes

Bongino subsequently connected the Pentagon’s FORTRESS plans with his own recommendations for household emergency supplies.

Discussing the reported military preparations, he said:

“The Pentagon is preparing every major US military base to survive 90 days without outside support: without civilian power, no global supply chains, and no outside fuel or water.”

He then drew a comparison between national defence preparedness and individual responsibility:

“The Pentagon’s doing its job to keep our national security safe and make ‘Fortress America’. You have to make ‘Fortress My House’, Fortress My Apartment.”

His argument was that if the military is considering how to maintain essential operations during serious disruptions, households should also think about their ability to manage temporary interruptions to basic services.

However, this comparison does not mean the Pentagon has instructed American families to maintain 90 days of supplies.

FORTRESS is a military resilience programme, whereas Bongino is offering his own household preparedness recommendation.

UK launches Be Ready campaign as emergency preparedness gains attention

The United States is not alone in encouraging households to prepare for temporary disruptions.

The UK government launched its Be Ready campaign in October 2026, urging households to consider how they would manage for up to three days if essential services were interrupted.

The campaign covers everyday emergencies, including severe weather and disruptions affecting water, electricity and communications.

Its household checklist recommends keeping essential items available, including:

• Bottled water and three days of non-perishable food.
• Hand sanitiser and wet wipes.
• Bathroom supplies.
• A torch and spare batteries.
• Blankets and warm clothing.
• An FM battery-powered or wind-up radio.
• A charged power bank.
• Cash and payment cards.
• Essential household-specific supplies.

The UK guidance recommends three litres of drinking water per person per day, with additional water potentially needed for cooking and washing.

Households are also encouraged to develop an emergency plan, consider the needs of children and pets, account for people who require medicines or other essential supplies, and communicate with neighbours.

The government has clarified that much of this advice is not new. Household resilience guidance has been available since 2024, with the 2026 campaign updating its presentation and expanding public awareness.

Are the US and UK preparedness campaigns connected to an imminent threat?

The timing of the UK campaign, US household preparedness discussions and the Pentagon’s FORTRESS initiative has encouraged speculation online.

However, the available information does not establish that these developments are responses to one specific impending event.

The UK campaign discusses everyday emergencies, including severe weather and temporary interruptions to essential services. Ready.gov has also long advised American households to maintain emergency supplies.

FORTRESS has a different purpose: protecting military installations, defence capabilities and supply chains against a broad range of potential disruptions.

The initiatives share a basic principle: preparing in advance can reduce the impact of emergencies.

But that common objective should not be mistaken for evidence that either government has announced an impending nationwide blackout, infrastructure collapse or world war.

Bongino also addressed this distinction during his October 28 programme, reiterating that his comments were about preparedness rather than predicting that a catastrophe was imminent.

Conclusion: What Americans should understand about Bongino’s warning and FORTRESS America

Dan Bongino’s household preparedness message and the Pentagon’s FORTRESS America initiative have brought renewed attention to the importance of resilience during potential emergencies.

However, the two efforts operate at very different levels. Bongino is encouraging families to maintain essential supplies, including food, water, batteries and emergency equipment, while the Pentagon is working to make military installations and defence supply chains less dependent on vulnerable civilian infrastructure.

The reported 90-day military preparedness target also requires careful interpretation, as it has not been clearly established as a finalized public requirement.

For American households, the current federal guidance remains straightforward: maintain at least three days of food and water, prepare an emergency kit and develop a plan suited to the family’s needs.

The message is preparedness, not panic. Neither FORTRESS America nor Bongino’s comments establish that a major national emergency or war is imminent.

Changes Inside the Pentagon
FORTRESS America is part of a wider period of change across the US defense establishment. For additional context on recent leadership developments, see our Daniel Driscoll Army Secretary departure report.

Source and research disclaimer

This article has been prepared based on research of the sources provided below, including official US Army, Ready.gov and UK government materials, alongside reporting from DefenseScoop, Fox News Digital, Mediaite, VT and NCIJ Network. It reflects information available through October 30, 2026. Reported details have been distinguished from publicly confirmed programme information, and the article does not imply independent verification beyond what the cited source material supports.

Sources

• U.S. Army: Hegseth State of the Force address and FORTRESS announcement
• Ready.gov emergency supply checklist
• VT
• GOV.UK: Be Ready household preparedness campaign
• UK Be Ready official household guidance
• DefenseScoop: FORTRESS America Program Office implementation
• Air & Space Forces Magazine: FORTRESS energy-resilience plans
• Fox News Digital: reported 90-day FORTRESS planning requirement
• NCIJ Network: fact-check of the FORTRESS 90-day claim
• The Dan Bongino Show transcript, October 28, 2026
• Mediaite: Bongino’s preparedness comments and 30-day reference

Featured Image Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons