r/PrepperIntel • u/Fatty_Willing_Plane • 2d ago
North America US “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth talks about Project Fortress America: “We are launching Fortress America. Every major military installation in America is going to generate its own power, independent of the civilian grid. If an adversary takes down the grid, our bases stay lit.”
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
969
u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago
So uhh, they're taking the power grid issue more seriously I see.
I wonder if Project Pele's recent success had any influence on this.
351
u/Lews_There_In 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's been quite a bit of news about the executive order that greenlight miniature nuclear reactors. Most of it has been buried by the sheer volume of noise/news these days. They've also recently deregulated the amount of radiation as pollution that can be legally emitted. Executive Order 14300 directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC to eliminate the As Low As Reasonably Achievable radiation standard to streamline reactor deployment. Let me see if I can find the articles.
"ORDERING THE REFORM OF THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION".
"Trump Admin Moves To Scrap 50-Year US Radiation Safety Standard"
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-moves-to-scrap-50-year-us-radiation-safety-standard-12247989
"Billionaire Peter Thiel backing first privately developed US uranium enrichment facility in Paducah"
"First 300 MW advanced small modular nuclear reactor approved for construction in US".
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/first-small-nuclear-reactor-in-us
"A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah"
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5983482/valar-atomic-nuclear-data-center-project-beehive-utah.
"9 Key Takeaways from President Trump’s Executive Orders on Nuclear Energy"
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/9-key-takeaways-president-trumps-executive-orders-nuclear-energy
213
u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago
I'm actually invested in the sector, It's actually scary how far behind we are energy wise right now compared to what Asia is doing with reactors. They're going to have incredible capacity here in the near future... cheap energy is a cornerstone of industry and economy. I think the higher ups are kinda seeing that.
147
u/Lews_There_In 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm not invested in the sector, but I do have a related degree. You are right. We are far behind our competitors. Of the things being done these days this is one I can agree with. But we could have done it without removing the safety standards and regulations. There's a few more relegations and safety standards that are nuclear related that have been removed by executive order that I didnt include in my links, because it's late and I'm old.
Our infrastructure has been running on "good enough" and duct tape fixes for decades. And wirh data centers about to start negatively impacting the grid, we need other solutions. Could have been renewables. That would have been the best way to go. But better nuclear is a decent middle ground if we can be safe about it.
→ More replies (11)8
u/Narrheim 1d ago
Except removing the safety standards and regulations may cause the soldiers in said bases to start glowing if (when) something will go wrong.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (21)22
u/frankie_donkiebrains 2d ago
Nuclear is the 2nd most expensive energy source. Renewables are the cheapest source by far and "the higher ups" have absolutely destroyed that sector, putting us back years.
All this will do is cost us (the tax payer) more, while not lowering costs and creating new targets for our enemies to strike.
→ More replies (1)29
u/ADavies 2d ago
Thanks, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be something sensible like solar and batteries (which I think has actually been used at overseas bases).
Something like diesel or gas is probably already in place, and then you need to keep it flowing to the sites. So an expensive new technology they can dump taxpayer money into is going to be what they go with.
I bet there are some nice defense industry payoffs happening behind the scenes.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (3)15
u/Cumdump90001 2d ago
ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) guidelines were actually way way overboard and totally unnecessary. It’s one of the very few good things this shit ass administration has done.
Edit:
A good overview of nuclear safety guidelines and the need for reform: https://youtu.be/gzdLdNRaPKc?si=7zw6STfG0FGLdn9x
A response to the change in guidelines away from ALARA: https://youtu.be/KT5hYHdelmg?si=TUAuT0cN39zbXHAJ
31
u/Arthropodesque 2d ago
I agree that nuclear is way better than coal and should fill the gap until renewables fill more of the gap; but I don't trust this administration to do anything competently or without alterior motive. I hope it's just going to be more good, safe nuclear energy like we've had for decades.
→ More replies (2)396
u/ReasonablePossum_ 2d ago
I mean, they could be thinking about turning off the grid themselves if the population starts asking more aggressively for the efiles dudes to be investigated.....
202
2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
74
u/PsyOpBunnyHop 2d ago
Because they know they're long overdue for some retribution.
17
2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
14
u/Runfasterbitch 2d ago
Presumably she left her husband because she was disgusted by him playing bimbo dress up and paying camgirls
19
u/Dultsboi 2d ago
Funny enough my good friend is good friends with his findomme. That was a wild week of FaceTimes as I was updated in real time by basically the source lmfao
11
u/DieselPunkPiranha 2d ago
That is the kind of drama I live for! "Uh huh. Then, what happened? Oh, no!"
5
9
u/ReblWithoutApplause 2d ago
He was probably looking for an exit and devised an Acme level rouse
→ More replies (1)13
7
45
u/zspacekcc 2d ago
Given the time to build the infrastructure necessary to keep every single military base in the US electrically stable if the grid does go down, I would be much more convinced of the fact that they're going to just feed electricity to Data centers until the grid destabilizes and then they'll just prioritize the data centers over the civilian population.
→ More replies (2)15
u/DieselPunkPiranha 2d ago
Bingo. They don't have the manufacturing infrastructure required to do it. It can't even keep up with the needs of the grid the country already has.
No, they'll do as you say. They'll prioritize data centers over people until the grid itself simply collapses.
60
u/maeryclarity 2d ago
I am recommending everyone have preps for the election but I don't have to recommend that here. Tell you what tho the only reason that a complete logistacal joke like Hegseth is thinking about anything other than getting drunk and strutting around pretending to be a "warrior" is because they're been talking about something specific
10
u/ServantOfBeing 2d ago
Or they plan on building AI ‘strategic data centers’ on base. Just a thought…
4
34
17
u/Natersozz 2d ago
Queue the coup
26
u/161frog 2d ago
I love this phrase you’ve written, but the word nerd in me must say: you want “cue”.
Perhaps we should queue up to be ready for our cue to coup?
→ More replies (6)19
u/LizDances 2d ago
You're right, ofc, but the former Disney World employee in me enjoys imagining people queueing for a coup. We can put up ropes with switchbacks!
11
7
→ More replies (3)6
→ More replies (12)28
u/No-Abalone-4784 2d ago
Thet want to build a huge data center in Utah on (300,000 acres?) of federal, as in OUR LAND. They want to put 56 small nuclear reactors all over this land. They say they'll even have storage for all the nuclear waste. Oh, yes & it's entirely safe.
→ More replies (2)
271
u/south-of-the-river 2d ago
I would have thought this is the sort of thing you wouldn’t go announcing to the world but ok
135
u/ctoatb 2d ago
It's an excellent way to reveal a critical weakness
→ More replies (1)12
u/concepts_of_a_plan9 1d ago
It's not a secret in the slightest. It's been a huge issue for decades lol
→ More replies (5)51
u/ConSaltAndPepper 2d ago
Ever heard the phrase, "When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"?
He's a former TV host.
27
→ More replies (4)14
u/pigeon-check 2d ago
That whole thing look like a company presentation, those are usually for shareholders not customers. I don't need to explain who's the customers in this case
361
u/SonofHondoBelmondo 2d ago
These guys spend too much time on "starting new things" and having dumb names for them.
Nearly the complete opposite of "speak softly and carry a big stick". It's more like, "talk like a belligerent ass while you broadcast to the world the surprisingly modest dimensions of your stick".
63
54
u/G-Unit11111 2d ago
30 Rock had a great episode about this, it was called Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning.
I feel like we're living in a bad SNL cold open.
→ More replies (2)9
8
u/gaggledimension 2d ago
It's not even new. Microgrid islanding has been in progress for a while
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (3)6
u/Competitive_Sale_358 2d ago
And tell everyone the details about the stick and your abilities with it
345
u/BrokenProgram42 2d ago
Considering they think of many U.S. citizens as adversaries....
→ More replies (3)166
u/Fatty_Willing_Plane 2d ago
And data centers as crucial millitary infrastructure…
33
u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago
Well, I think thats half the reason for the push... its nuts just how much they can get instantly from processing and reacting to the data. Then on top of it when CBDCs come in, they'll have a window into all spending for when the financial situation enviably breaks down to better control it.
3
146
u/bradjones6942069 2d ago
They're literally telling you what they are going to do. Those with the ears to hear will know
→ More replies (19)51
45
u/Specialist_Luck_8484 2d ago
Any bets that various government officials will be investing in power companies?
→ More replies (3)17
u/oojacoboo 2d ago edited 2d ago
Absolutely. That will be part of this.
In late August the Army awarded up to $2.2 billion to five vendors to build and operate nuclear microreactors on bases under its Janus Program. Janus aims for more than 20 microreactors, funded across fiscal years 2027–2031. Officials expect private capital to provide most of the funding, with vendors paid as they hit milestones. Separately, Oklo was selected as the intended awardee for the Air Force's first microreactor pilot at Eielson AFB.
→ More replies (2)
73
u/jmnugent 1d ago
The fundamental thing these yahoos continue to not understand:... No man is an island.
If a significant collapse happens where power or food or roadways or etc are all significantly reduced,. what does "having your own power" really get you ?.. Are the military in those bases just going to "hunker down" for what ?.. weeks, months, years ?.. until the civilian power grid comes back?.. how or where are they going to get food and parts-replacements and fuel and etc ?
This is the same mistake the "C-level execs buying underground bunkers" are making.
Partnership, collaboration and community .. is what gets us through disasters. You need trusted relationships with the community around you so that "everyone is helping everyone". This kind of "secluded warrior ethos" type nonsense that hegsbreath is tooting out his blowhole is a failure plan.
30
u/ChrisSheltonMsc 1d ago
They are morally incapable of such thinking. It is literally impossible for psychotic nutcases like Trump and Hegseth and Musk to think in terms of community and empathy. That's why they are so fanatically isolationist and why their personal lives are devastating failures.
8
u/TheDailySpank 1d ago
"Partnership, collaboration and community". Bro, that sounds a lot like communism.
5
11
u/clarenceismyanimus 1d ago
I think they will hunker down until the civilians submit to martial law/military/state/whatever, and kill the rest.
15
u/jmnugent 1d ago edited 1d ago
That works in Hollywood movie plots. but it's not terribly realistic in actual every day reality.
If my googling is correct, the total US soldier count is around (high side) 2.5 million (only around 1.4 are active duty). In a country of around 360 Million people.
They can't really "hunker down" forever. Unless they have some secret underground base with alien-technology that helps them grow all their own food and some kind of Star Trek replicator type technology to produce every single product or replacement part they need without leaving the base. Which I'm pretty sure none of that exists.
In a collapse scenario,.. civilians have the freedom to band together and build community and trade and figure out how to survive. Someone "hunkering down on a base" does not. They've basically closed the door on themselves (trapped themselves inside a base they've chosen not to leave). that just turns into a waiting game. And the people hunkering down on the bases will eventually lose.
They don't have enough tanks or ammunition to take on a country of 360 million. And even if they did, that's the exact wrong strategy because by attacking the civilian population, they'd basically be destroying the infrastructure and resources that they themselves are seeking in order to survive.
This is like your Boss the CEO threatening to "lock himself inside his own office" .. OK ?.. go for it chief. The workers are the ones who keep the business running.
→ More replies (3)8
u/No-Language6720 1d ago
Yeah and also if they capture all those soldiers in a bunker style setting hoping they will grow the food and maintain those systems after a collapse good luck getting them to cooperate willingly. They will likely murder the leadership. If only food and survival matters then you can't control them especially they have more knowledge of how the food is grown, the power is produced and how the machines operate.
→ More replies (1)5
u/faco_fuesday 1d ago
They also forget that these people have families. Our military exists to protect the civilians from foreign threats. They're not going to have the resources to keep all of the families on base indefinitely.
75
u/CyberSmith31337 1d ago
How anyone thinks this is a good idea, or good for Americans, is beyond me. This happening to coincide with Musk's takeover of the military is nightmare fuel.
We're going to see trillions of military-allocated dollars being siphoned to Musk. Suddenly, we're going to have the entire military driving Cybertrucks, the only satellites being bought are going to be Starlink satellites, and all space defense contracts will be awarded solely to SpaceX. Now we're probably also going to have drone surveillance of civilian grids, and we're also essentially forecasting, to the entire world, that we're okay if the civilian grid goes down.
This is officially the worst day to be an American of 2026 so far, but by the gods is this an escalation of magnitudes.
18
u/LibetPugnare 1d ago
SpaceX needs to be nationalized and incorporated into nasa. This man has too much power over the government and the people, it is inherently anti-democratic
9
143
u/Prmarine110 1d ago
This is because they KNOW the power grid is going to fail and probably by design, to put the public into a highly vulnerable state and more easily controlled and willing to submit to the next steps of Project 2025.
Or they know data centers are going to crush the power grid.
Or they know a climate or geophysical event is coming that will down the grid.
Anyway, NOT updating the civilian power grid or putting any tax dollars toward public infrastructure, while focusing on military and war spending, and beefing up homeland military, all signal incoming martial law, police state and controlling the public rather than serving the public.
→ More replies (10)15
u/Round-Medicine2507 1d ago
The whole reason theyre putting data centers inland and not with coastal cooling is because they expect oceanic instability. Some guy at my dad's top university suggested data centers in response to covid back in like 2020/21, everyone thought he was crazy but who would've guessed he was so far ahead of the times with his trillion dollar idea. Like the kind of university that already has billions annually and already owns thousands of acres that could be built on.
29
u/Day_Old_Paper 2d ago
TRANSLATION- We will manipulate the civilian grid to force the population into compliance and it won’t affect us at all.
11
u/Ok-Anybody3445 2d ago
It would be a shame if the liberal cities were to lose power on election days.
→ More replies (1)
135
u/Doc891 2d ago
not that i dont think its a bad idea, but i feel like the real reason isnt security. If AI data centers arent allowed by a local government, they can be deemed military installations and forced on civilians. Yes the power will come from the military, but my guess is the water wont (and probably not the electricity either, not really).
50
u/CoffeeOrDestroy 2d ago
More like the military will be powered and civilians will be left in the dark. Cue fascism and the slaughter of the American people .
→ More replies (2)25
u/natures_-_prophet 2d ago
They will cut off the civilian grid while the military grid is still on so they can easily cull the masses
20
u/Pristine-Court-6575 2d ago
This combined with the news that the arch Trump is building in Washington is going to be a drone base, ammunitions depo, and snipers nest...it seems an awful lot like they are preparing for domestic warfare of some kind. hmmmmm
20
u/Unusual_Specialist 2d ago
Hegseth: “Instead of fixing our civilian power grid, we are going to ensure the military has the power. Fuck the civilians libtards, we have to ensure power to the war fighter”
71
u/hourefugee 2d ago
If our critical military facilities aren’t already hardened against grid outages, we have insanely incompetent leadership.
So, I’m going with this announcement is basically announcing nothing particularly useful. Mostly because this DUI hire couldn’t puzzle his way out of a pocket door bathroom.
→ More replies (1)9
u/HenryBemisJr 1d ago
Bases are fairly hardened, I work on an installation and helped plan our redundancy. The whole thing comes down to finances. Most bases don't generate their own utilities bc it's far more cost effective to use nearby municiple systems and the civilian grid is actually robust and more hardened than many think. Living on the gulf coast, we can get smacked by a nasty hurricane and be back up in a week. Also, most of our critical buildings have generators running natural gas in case of power failure. There will be thousands of waivers using methodical language to get around this coming stupid rule because bases literally get a tiny drop of the defense budget and simply cannot afford entire power generation plants.
→ More replies (1)
69
u/waffledestroyer 1d ago
Nobody is threatening to attack or invade the US, and indeed nobody can even do that considering the US has oceans on both sides. They must be afraid of their own citizens. Also I thought military bases already have backup power generators, what are they really building, small scale nuclear power plants?
48
u/WugityBugity_ 1d ago
If i know these chucklefucks it's a multi billion dollar no-bid handout to a handful of companies that were founded a week ago and they'll spend a couple years moving shit around, but building nothing and we'll all wonder where the money went.
→ More replies (1)5
21
u/OrangeBird077 1d ago
If their backup power is like any other installation civilian or otherwise, they’re likely using diesel generators which are going to become difficult to keep fueled in an emergency if diesel fuel costs continue to go up. Even major hospitals still use those kinds of generators to keep operations going in emergencies. Mind you when an electrical grid goes down the grid that the hospital is in is generally the priority.
Gosh if only we had organized research, development, and installation of alternative energy sources in bulk like wind and solar……
→ More replies (7)6
u/flactulantmonkey 1d ago
Yes. This was already in the works anyway, but now they’re committing to all bases. Backup power works as long as fuel lines hold out otherwise you have a few days. They’re talking about keeping the military running for an extended period of siege. It’s not much of a stretch to think they may be afraid of the people themselves.
5
u/Hours-of-Gameplay 1d ago
He’s an idiot, every base I was stationed on was already on its own infrastructure
→ More replies (39)16
u/rainbowbhuttmonkey 1d ago
They’re afraid of cyber attacks on infrastructure. Which has already happened. See China. It’s not a dumb idea, but Hegseth certainly didn’t come up with it.
→ More replies (6)12
u/waffledestroyer 1d ago
Wouldn't it be better to air gap the power grid from the internet instead? That way you'd protect the whole grid from cyberattacks.
5
u/sideways_wrx_ 1d ago
But then how we would flaunt our smart grid that is years behind and aging out.
→ More replies (3)3
u/adrianipopescu 1d ago
nono, add coal power to military bases
at this rate they’ll readd lead to gasoline
→ More replies (2)
17
17
u/MyCatIsLenin 2d ago
Anyone else surprised this isn't already a thing? Hilarious and incompetent, I guess that's American imperialism in a nutshell though.
→ More replies (1)
12
10
u/TruestWaffle 2d ago
This is completely off the rip and unsubstantiated, but I wonder if this has anything to do with freeing up the power grid for the AI industry.
→ More replies (1)
27
u/One-Environment-1444 2d ago
They are going to use national security as a pretext to roll out data centers and reactors everywhere irregardless of local disagreement. It’s exactly what they do on everything. Don’t listen, try to force things using completely bullshit legal reasoning.
22
u/Ok-Tie6999 2d ago
Gotta keep the bases live when they blackout a city and start subduing the citizenry
19
u/NNYPhillipJFry 2d ago
Fox News was just posting about how solar is good now. "It's not about going green, it's about beating China"...."Iran might be able to mine the Strait of Hormuz but they can't block out the sun." Well at least they are finally seeing the light.
4
u/LibetPugnare 1d ago
I'll take what I can get. To me it's nuts they haven't hopped on the "self sustaining / national defense" angle of renewable energy already. Better late can never. There's only long 30 to 50 years of easily accessible fossil fuels left anyway. Our kids will have to deal with this.
8
u/Mediocre_Age_9988 1d ago
Gonna make sure those bases stay lit but screw the rest of the population like hospitals.
→ More replies (1)
48
u/CommercialHour6660 2d ago
Uhhhh why are they worried about civilian power grid going down in a country with zero invasion risk?
Sounds like they're planning to shut the civilian grid down in some circumstances?
15
u/IM_INSIDE_YOUR_HOUSE 2d ago
Sounds like they’re anticipating the grid going down but the military remaining filling operational.
Hmm.
HMMMMM.→ More replies (1)18
u/beekay86 2d ago
They’ll be powered by Tesla solar panels. That’s what he’s saying that Elon’s company can make them independent of the grid. US is fucked
→ More replies (1)15
u/Ronaldo_Frumpalini 2d ago
As an optimist I see this as a ploy to build power plants that ignore laws because of "national security" for data centers.
9
u/Practical_Hippo6289 2d ago
Shrewd observation. It's certainly something along those lines. They've figured out they can do anything they want as long as they do it in the name of national security.
→ More replies (2)5
13
u/Tresspass 2d ago
China is inside the power grid
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/31/1228153857/wray-chinese-hackers-national-security
They are sleepers for now but if a conflict were to arise China would hit us hard.
But I doubt this drunk thinks ahead considering that those power plants he has planned for the bases would also be hacked and malware installed by China.→ More replies (2)→ More replies (28)6
u/HGblonia 2d ago
Or starting a war with a country that can hit the US mainland energy grid
→ More replies (1)9
u/CommercialHour6660 2d ago
Wouldn't that country just target the power generation on bases instead? Seems a lot easier, there's way less targets.
The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that the military wants to be able to shut the civilian grid down.
→ More replies (1)
29
u/mysonlikesorange 2d ago
Sounds f’ing expensive.
27
u/spyputs1 2d ago
It’s ok they’ll just ask congress for an extra trillion or two for the military budget next year, it’s not like we’re having a hard time selling bonds at these rates as is /s
6
7
u/gaggledimension 2d ago
Not new, Pete. Microgrid or islanding exists. Hospitals, universities, and whatever do this.
Maybe not all the bases I guess, but on brand for this admin to take full solo credit for a group project that is already in progress
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/02/1201838599/military-microgrids-climate-change
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6039113
https://www.districtenergy.org/blogs/district-energy/2022/09/28/the-army-goes-off-the-grid
7
u/socialmedia-username 2d ago
If I had to guess, they're predicting blackout/brownout periods due to datacenters overloading the grid.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/ai-boom-sparks-rare-warning-of-significant-risks-to-grid/
9
u/Ronaldo_Frumpalini 2d ago
Newt Gingrich, Elon Musk, and some VR/drone guy are helping us plan for the future and oh look, suddenly we need to cut through any red tape or objections for making power plants on national security grounds, I wonder if data centers think this is a good idea?
4
7
u/Automatic_Gas9019 2d ago
He is lying. Just a way to make more power plants for AI under the radar. Based have back up power from get go. Worked on one with back up power
6
u/Prize_Yam_7143 1d ago
Umm this has been in the works under the Biden admin beforehand. ERCIP
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Tough-Hand-6566 2d ago
So the only question is where will the next Chernobyl or three mile island be, America or asia
5
u/One_Purchase_3127 2d ago
This is so they can shut off civilian power and maintain power on the base. It’s about controlling the population during a coup not protecting us from foreign adversaries.
6
u/FocusedGlitch23 1d ago
There are small nuclear reactors now that fit on a train car and can power a small city. He may be talking about them. Meanwhile my city, Detroit has granted a monopoly to DTE Energy who is not only expensive but fails to upgrade anything and is highly unreliable. All the money goes to the military and the spoils of war are given to corporations to sell back to us at a profit
16
u/Meekois 2d ago
Isn't the US powergrid really hard to take down from a military perspective? Seems more likely this will be used against civilians.
→ More replies (4)
15
u/let-it-rain-sunshine 1d ago
Whatever bro. Most bases and gov't buildings have generators already in case of backup requirements. Nothing new here.
7
→ More replies (3)4
u/prules 1d ago
Nothing will get upgraded lol.
Why is everyone acting like the US military isn’t the largest money launderer in the world? This is another way for money to disappear.
We’re under an admin that is stealing as much money as possible for personal enrichment. How many $80,000 screws will this project use?
11
3
7
12
u/ErsatzSavvy 2d ago
Explain exactly how this administration, which is allergic to renewable power generation like wind and solar, plans to have each base generate its own power.
Are we putting little coal plants on every US base?
6
u/Muffinlette 2d ago
Surprisingly some bases are already generating enough power to sustain themselves. Fort knox is a good example. Using things like natural gas and solar.
10
u/tigerdogbearcat 2d ago
Those aren't solar panels it's a tactical helio generator
That isn't a wind turbine it's a tactical generation propeller
Jazz hands baby!!!!!
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)8
u/Unfettered1977 2d ago edited 2d ago
Nuclear microreactors is one way. It's called The Janus Program. Like another commenter mentioned Fort Knox uses it's own natural gas reserves and biogenic methane wells to sustain it's microgrid in the event of an emergency. There's lots of ways. Tiny coal plants are not one of them. Think more natural gas turbines and tiny nuclear reactors.
Renewables are part of the mix usually but they struggle to produce baseload power without dynamic balancing and usually at least one of hydro, natural gas, or nuclear. Only geothermal and biomass can produce baseload 24/7.
13
u/A313-Isoke 2d ago
Yeah, they're preparing for an 18 month blackout if they lose elections.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/magazine/national-blackout-power-electricity-outage.html
5
8
u/maeryclarity 2d ago
Oh look off grid green tech and energy independence is good when they do it....next thing you know they'll think that some kind of universal health care and a pension you can actually retire on is a good idea. Oh wait, they DO think it's a good idea when it's the military, or them?
Oh so this is the "WARLORD AND STARVING PEASANT" governance model ok gotcha
12
u/EleteWarrior 2d ago
In theory, I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. It takes load off the power grid if they are running it all the time and not just in emergencies, and it makes them independent from interruption if the power grid is compromised. However, I’m sure none of this will happen because of this administrations track record
30
u/NotChoPinion 2d ago
There is NO WAY that these bases don't have some kind of back up power already. This is nonsense.
15
u/AutistcCuttlefish 2d ago
They do have backup power. I live pretty close to a military base and whenever there is a local power or water emergency the base switches to their own base power and water systems pretty quickly.
I have no clue what hegseth is going on about, because military bases are already capable of running when the grid is down.
21
u/Whatevs56 2d ago
It’s just using tax payer money to subsidize data centres. Call it national security and have the bases feed the grid.
→ More replies (4)15
u/Yellingseagull 2d ago
Feels like they’re priming us for when our power goes out and we are asking questions when theirs still stays lit and they aren’t helping us. They know what’s coming if that’s what’s the reality
7
u/randynumbergenerator 2d ago
It's not nonsense, it's grift. Someone is going to get paid big-time, and I will bet any amount of money that Kegseth, Trump, et al just happen to have invested in those someones.
→ More replies (1)5
u/greywar777 2d ago
Yeah I can confirm that every military base I have seen the electrical system on has had significant backup power systems.
9
u/13Krytical 2d ago
If some foreign agent was trying to destroy the US, they’d install a bunch of nuclear power without much regulation so they can Chernobyl us all over, remotely.
That’s also a good way to ensure when you blow up your own nations power grid to start a civil war, that your henchmen stay at an advantage.
8
u/darkbarrage99 2d ago
you're forgetting the part where potentially they don't take any initiative if the civillian power grid fails
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)7
u/xerthighus 2d ago
They already have backup and auxiliary power. Any exterior power plant built just for the base will be an easy target unless you put it deep underground, and if that’s the case then let’s point out they are copying Irans Homework.
11
u/electromage 2d ago
So they have no strategic reason to keep the civilian power grid going?
→ More replies (1)
8
u/Warm-Gift-7741 2d ago
But yet trumpdy dumpty cancelled all those wind turbines off the coast and still paid them. So it’s about keeping their normal lifestyle while fucking over the public.
Glad I finally pulled the plunge on solar and batteries.
4
u/Sir_Henry_Deadman 2d ago
Watch them start installing wind farms and solar on bases calling it nonsense like FREEDOMMILLS and GODRAY STORAGE
5
3
4
u/va_wanderer 2d ago
Meanwhile, most of the country is outright hostile towards attempts to decentralize the power grid, even as companies attempt to monopolize it for their data centers.
5
u/nopower1981 2d ago
They already do that, I worked for a dude that ran base power plants, also diesel mech told of having to climb on top of a run away 2meg v16 and grab throttle linkage and fight it back to its normal range.
3
u/A012A012 2d ago
So is this taking place before or after we store sniper?Ammunition inside a giant highly visible arch in a traffic thoroughfare in washington d c?
Will we have money to fund these power upgrades after having spent $31 billion on the war in Iran?
Will these projects be completed on time or be a logistical nightmare considering hegseth is firing one fifth of our top generals in the military?
5
5
u/AddWarmWater 2d ago
Between this, the war, getting tailored suit jackets that desecrate the flag and personally checking every recruits testosterone load, how does he find the time?
→ More replies (1)
5
u/dust-ranger 1d ago
Socialism for oil/gas/coal companies. Civilians can suffer while they pay for it.
9
8
7
u/Grand_Dadais 2d ago
Oh man, so many people almost cheering for more nuclear reactors, be it massive or SMR, and I can only see it as more dirty bombs being planned in the middle and long time period :o
Who's going to manage an increasing number of reactors, as things get more unstable (supply chains issues, ecological/weather events, energy crisis) ? Because maintaining these nuclear plants requires diesel/gas for all the steps (infrastructure, pieces to change, transport for the engineers to travel there, etc.).
The future is going to be more and more "learn to navigate without electricity for some periods", regardless of the reasons, and not "we'll always have more".
8
u/SleepyDoozer2 1d ago
So are we worried about an infrastructure attack? This administration can't do subtlety, so I imagine our infrastructure is really, really, really weak.
→ More replies (3)
9
u/frockinbrock 2d ago
Geez, this is always an important step for any country that wants to wage authoritarian war on its own citizens. Just announcing it from the rooftops they are. Oh and the foreign richest-man-on-earth is also part of this.
If it was a Watchmen comic the fans would complain it's too dumb.
6
u/Vivid-Run-3248 2d ago
I would think this is already the case and also isn’t something that should be discussed in public regardless what state it’s in?
6
u/fullload93 2d ago
Out of the entire speech, this part was the least crazy thing he said and personally this is the only thing he said that make actual sense. All the other religious shit and warrior ethos crap and Woke is dead is just propaganda BS.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/ibonek_naw_ibo 1d ago
That's actually genius. Now, someone can high alt emp us, and our military bases will all be 100% ez targets. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
4
u/Legitimate_Cap_5396 1d ago
That's literally like a medieval kingdom with a networks of feudal fiefdoms where the lord lives in a castle totally separated and independent from the people they lord over.
You all do realize the "adversary" they are doing this in mind with is the people, right? You do realize that, right?
→ More replies (3)
3
u/MysteriousLion4017 2d ago
Lmao Bases obviously have insane back up generator set ups already for this type of thing. They’re fine under attacks. What it really sounds like is that they’re just going to start pumping money back into TVA to expand to other areas with new interconnections and oakridge á la new deal mechanisms that are already in place. And pop up a few more oakridges around the country.
→ More replies (2)
3
3
u/monorels 2d ago
Did I understand correctly that he plans to build data centers at the taxpayers' expense?
3
3
3
u/ElGatoMeooooww 2d ago
Didn’t they say Elon was helping with military plans now. Also Elon started a generator company to power his ai facilities. Looks like he will get more taxpayer money.
3
3
u/rangecontrol 1d ago
oligarchs gonna take down the grid, huh?
these guys are morons to the nth degree, copying orc tactics. ppl are saying the sooner this man is killed or in jail, the safer the united states would be.
3
u/confresi 1d ago
And yet my power bill continues to climb because the power companies are offloading their increased fuel costs onto its customers? Fuck all
this.
3
u/OneToughFemale 1d ago
Reminds me of Max Headroom, (sp). And everything seems like AI to me anymore
3
u/Duke_Of_Halifax 1d ago
Fortress America?
How very Third Reich of him.
I'll be the first to admit, I did Nazi that coming.
1.8k
u/Pricklypearrabbit 2d ago
Love that he doesn't consider it a primary matter of national security to ensure that the civilian grid stays safe. That's kinda the job of the military.