Pentagon Explores Public-Private Partnerships for FORTRESS America

Assistant Secretary of Defense Dale Marks said the Department of Defense is pursuing public-private partnerships to support or accelerate FORTRESS America, a homeland base-hardening initiative. Marks said military services are identifying parts of the effort that could involve commercial offtake.

Key details

• FORTRESS America covers energy independence, stronger supply chains, improved distribution of key stockpiles, installation hardening, and weapons that can function without satellite communications.
• Marks said the current work focuses on setting priorities and reducing costs.

FORTRESS America covers five areas, including energy independence and installation hardening.

Why it matters

The initiative includes energy, supply-chain and installation projects that could create opportunities for private-sector participation. Commercial offtake could form part of the services’ approach to selected priorities.

What happens next

The services are working to identify priorities and possible commercial roles as the department develops the initiative. Which area of FORTRESS America do you expect to draw the most private-sector participation?