October 29th, 2026: Why Is the Pentagon Preparing for a 90-Day Emergency? & U.S. Warns of Iran War

It's Thursday, the 29th of October. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, thank you for noticing I am back out on the road. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the Pentagon is ordering military bases in the U.S. to prepare to operate independently during a crisis for at least 90 days, while Britain urges citizens to stockpile emergency supplies. So, are Western governments preparing for something that they know is coming, or simply taking precautions? We'll separate the speculation from the facts. Later in the show, the U.S. is reportedly warning its Gulf allies to prepare for another round of war with Iran, potentially just days after the midterm elections, which of course are just around the corner. Plus, Ukraine reveals a secret battlefield operation that turned Russia's own tactics against the Russian military, sending troops through underground gas pipelines to ambush enemy positions. And in today's back of the brief, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu performs better than expected in Israel's elections, but remains short of the seats needed to form a government. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. If you've been watching the news or scrolling through social media lately, you may have noticed a little bit of dramatic speculation around a newly publicized Pentagon initiative. Now, there are reports that the Pentagon is preparing American military bases to operate for 90 days without any outside support. Separately, the British government is urging citizens to stockpile, food, water, and emergency supplies. Those revelations have some people wondering, as they do, whether Western governments know something that the rest of us don't. Before we start building backyard bomb shelters, let's look at what's actually happening. First, let's take a peek at the Pentagon. According to Fox News Digital, the military wants major installations across the continental U.S. to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days. It's part of an initiative, called Fortress America because you knew it had to have a catchy name, announced by the Pentagon back in September. The idea is to make bases less dependent on civilian infrastructure by securing independent electricity, water, fuel, communications, and supply chains. Officials are even considering portable nuclear reactors and microgrids to keep installations running if the surrounding power grid fails. And there's a logical reason for that type of crisis management planning. Imagine a confrontation between the U.S. and China. American forces prepare to deploy overseas, but a coordinated cyber attack knocks out electrical grids and transportation networks or water systems in the U.S. Bases that depend on those services could struggle to operate before the first American aircraft even take off. Fortress is meant to prevent that. It's not evidence that the Pentagon knows an attack is coming tomorrow. It's simply common sense. It's an acknowledgement that the home front could be a target in a future war. Now, on to Britain, where last Thursday, the government launched a public preparedness campaign called Be Ready. Ooh, that's catchy. Officials are recommending that households keep enough non-perishable food, drinking water, medications, batteries, flashlights, and other essentials to get through 72 hours without normal services. The suggested water supply is roughly 9 liters per person. And the government isn't talking exclusively about storms and floods. Its list of potential disruptions includes cyber attacks, sabotage, and failures of critical infrastructure. And as with the Fortress America initiative, there is common sense at play with Britain's crisis management planning. Households should be able to weather at least a few days without essential government services. It doesn't make you a prepper. It just means you're planning for potential unknowns. There's also a military backdrop here. British defense leaders have warned that NATO must be ready for the possibility of a major confrontation by the end of the decade, as Russia and other adversaries strengthen their capabilities. The UK's Guardian news outlet reports that British retailer Iceland saw canned food sales jump 40% after the announcement, although other supermarkets reported little change. But here's some context that often gets lost online. Oftentimes context is lost online. Neither of these programs came out of nowhere. The Pentagon announced Fortress back in September, and making hundreds of military installations self-sufficient, well, that could take years, even decades. Britain has recommended household emergency supplies since 2024, and the latest campaign was planned months in advance. Now, that doesn't mean that the threats are imaginary or not plausible. Earlier this month, the head of Britain's MI5 warned about the growing danger of hostile state operations, including from Russia and Iran. Here in the U.S., cybersecurity agencies have documented Chinese state-sponsored hackers penetrating critical infrastructure networks. Officials worry that in a confrontation over Taiwan, for example, Beijing could use that access to disrupt American energy, water, communications, or transportation systems. These concerns have been building for years, and they're among the reasons that governments are investing in resilience. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others are constantly poking and prodding at the U.S. and allies' critical infrastructure, looking for weak links, unguarded avenues of approach, and points of potential attack in everything from transportation networks to banking infrastructure, power grids, water facilities, and energy. The goal has been, particularly for China, to build a playbook for any future, major global conflict, with a key strategy being how to deliver pain to your adversaries' homeland quickly and efficiently. Take down the power grid, upend delivery of essentials such as fuel or pharmaceuticals or food, disrupt water supplies, shut down communications, GPS, and satellite connectivity. Turn your adversaries' homeland into a battlefield without dropping a bomb. That's why the future of warfare, in large part, will be in cyberspace and space. For generations, Americans have largely thought of war as something that happens somewhere else. We send troops abroad. U.S. aircraft carriers deploy. Jets fly missions thousands of miles from home. But modern conflict doesn't respect those boundaries. An adversary might never fire a missile at an American city and still cause serious disruption through a cyber attack on the systems that Americans depend on every day. That possibility is what connects these stories. The Pentagon preparing its bases to keep operating, while Britain is encouraging households to weather an initial disruption. So, what should Americans take away from all of this? Well, first of all, there's no reason to panic, no matter how hysterical some of the social media conspiracy theories may be. Emergency preparedness isn't a new idea. U.S. federal guidance has long recommended keeping at least three days of food and water, along with medications and flashlights and batteries and other essentials. That's useful. Whether the problem turns out to be a cyberattack, a hurricane, or a prolonged power outage. And those first 72 hours can be especially difficult if grocery stores can't process payments or gas stations can't pump fuel or cell phones can't be recharged. Having a modest emergency kit simply gives your family a little breathing room until normal services return or assistance arrives. Think of it like keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. You don't buy one because you're convinced your house will catch on fire. You buy one because, well, emergencies can happen, and you'd rather be ready than caught off guard. The same logic applies to keeping basic supplies at home. No need to empty the supermarket shelves or assume these government announcements mean catastrophe is around the corner. But checking what you have on hand and making a simple family emergency plan, well, that's just common sense. And make sure you have a communications plan for your family included. Coming up next, speaking of being prepared. The U.S. reportedly warns Gulf allies to prepare for another war with Iran. And Ukraine reveals a secret operation using underground pipelines to ambush Russian forces. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now every AI expert, and there are a lot of them, seems to recommend something different these days. 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Head over to pplx.ai.pdb. Once again, that's pplx.ai.pdb to try Perplexity Computer today. Most AI tools are just busy answering questions, while Perplexity Computer, well, they're busy completing projects. Welcome back to the PDB. The U.S. is reportedly preparing for another major military campaign against Iran, potentially launching new strikes just days after next week's midterm elections. And according to the Wall Street Journal, Washington is already warning its allies in the Middle East to prepare for what could be a short but interesting project. An intense round of fighting. The Journal reports that American officials have communicated those warnings to several Gulf Arab governments through diplomatic and military channels, as preparations for another offensive appear to be accelerating. And there are some concrete signs that the Pentagon is getting ready. The U.S. is reportedly sending another Patriot missile defense system from Texas to Israel, while American troops have been moved away from vulnerable bases across the Middle East. U.S. forces are also replenishing. Their weapons supplies with bombers and fighter jets preparing for potential strikes. Meanwhile, another aircraft carrier strike group and Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to join the roughly 20 American warships already operating in the region next month, although some vessels could rotate out. Taken together, these moves suggest that the Pentagon is making sure that it has the forces in place should the White House give the order. And according to people familiar with this thinking, President Trump is making sure that the Pentagon is making sure that it has the forces in place should the White House give the order. And according to people familiar with this thinking, President Trump is making sure that the Pentagon is making sure that the White House gives the order. The White House is leaning toward a major offensive after the November 3rd elections, potentially targeting Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities. The White House declined to comment on what it called sensitive military plans, while reiterating that the president is keeping every option available to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump himself has been hinting at another round of fighting. At a rally last week, he suggested the U.S. might launch another operation similar to Epic Fury. The American. and Israeli bombing campaign from earlier this year. Or, as Trump put it, Iran could simply agree to a deal. Yes, but what are the odds of that? And that brings us to what Washington may actually be trying to accomplish. For months, the Trump administration has been tightening the economic pressure on Tehran. American sanctions and a naval blockade have severely restricted Iranian oil exports, while restrictions on aviation and overland trade have further isolated the country. The Iranian economy is already stagnant. It's struggling, and Washington appears to believe that another round of military pressure could finally force the regime to accept American demands. But there's a problem with that strategy. Iran has already endured an extraordinary amount of punishment. According to the Journal, American and Israeli forces conducted more than 20,000 strikes during the most intense phase of the war. And yet, the regime remains in power. Iran continues to threaten American interests across the region, and despite the damage to its military, Tehran reportedly retains hundreds, potentially thousands, of ballistic missiles. And the Iranian regime continues to supply and provide guidance to and instruction to their key proxies, most notably the Houthis and Hezbollah. Israeli officials are also concerned about how quickly Iran has begun rebuilding portions of its missile arsenal, assembling new weapons from components that it already has in storage. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to avoid another confrontation, have made little to no progress. Regional mediators are attempting to restart negotiations, but Washington continues to demand concessions on Iran's nuclear program, while Tehran insists on sanctions relief and an end to the American blockade. Now, the stakes of another offensive are considerable, as you might imagine. Iran has warned that renewed American and Israeli strikes would trigger retaliation against economic and civilian targets throughout the Middle East. That's particularly concerning because American and allied missile defenses have already been stretched by months of Iranian attacks. There's also the financial cost. The Journal reports that the war has already cost the United States an estimated $47 billion, that's with a B, $47 billion, including roughly $29 billion spent on munitions alone. So the question now is whether Washington is genuinely preparing for another major offensive, or whether these military preparations are intended to convince Tehran that refusing to negotiate will come at an even greater price. All right, let's turn to the Ukraine conflict. President Zelensky says his troops are reclaiming territory on a battlefield where progress has been painfully slow, and he highlighted a secret operation where Ukrainian forces advanced nearly 10 miles through underground gas pipelines to outflank Russian troops. The mission will be a success. The mission was dubbed Operation Veles, and according to Zelensky, it, quote, eliminated more than 100 Russian soldiers and captured more than 30 others. The reported losses have not been independently verified. Zelensky discussed the mission alongside several other operations in his Tuesday night address to the nation, saying Ukraine's battlefield position is now the strongest that it's been in some time. So how exactly did Operation Veles work? Well, troops from the National Guard's 2nd Kartia Corps, joined other Ukrainian units in moving through the pipelines to reach Russian positions from behind. This was carried out near Kupyansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region. The Corps says that the advance was coordinated with operations above ground, including drone strikes. Zelensky described it this way, quote, It was a strong operation, well-planned and technology-driven. The Russians had previously tried to use underground gas pipelines to advance past our positions, end quote. On, the 12th of September, back in 2025, Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group Deep State reported that Russian troops had used a gas pipeline to bypass the Oskil River and penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Kupyansk. Now, Ukraine says it adapted that same approach to strike the invading force. Zelensky said, quote, Ukrainian warriors have successfully transformed this tactic, modernized it, and made it much more sophisticated and technologically advanced. For Ukrainian troops, going underground let them bypass exposed terrain and threaten Russian positions from behind. On a battlefield dominated by drones and artillery, well, that's a valuable advantage, of course. The Corps had already described Veles publicly by the 22nd of October, before Zelensky discussed it in his Tuesday address. Kupyansk sits near key transportation routes and the Oskil River. Ukrainian forces recaptured the city back in September of 2022, but Russia has kept the surrounding areas under control. Russia has kept the surrounding area under pressure ever since, trying to recover lost ground and push farther across eastern Ukraine. Zelensky didn't specify how much territory, if any, Operation Veles had recaptured. His broader announcement about taking back ground did include operations elsewhere, and one of those is Operation Vivaldi, which Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps has been conducting in the northern Donetsk region. A senior commander reported in September that Ukrainian troops had cleared Russian infiltration groups from a pro-Russian war zone. Zelensky also pointed to a separate Ukrainian air assault operation in eastern Ukraine, although the reporting provided few details about that mission. And farther south, he said in August that another offensive had returned 26 villages to Ukrainian control. Now, as has been the case throughout the several years of Putin's invasion, independent verification of Kupyansk, of claims from either side is often difficult or impossible. Russian commanders repeatedly claimed their forces are advancing across all sections of the roughly 750-mile front line. Earlier this month, the Russian general staff chief claimed Moscow had captured 92 Ukrainian settlements since the beginning of September. Ukraine's military rejected those statements. Okay, in today's back of the brief, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, beats expectations in Israel's elections, but falls short of a governing majority, potentially setting the stage for weeks of political uncertainty and backroom power deals among the smaller political parties. More on that when we come back. Now, you may have heard about the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, right? Well, they're right around the corner and they are heating up. That's putting it mildly. Congressional control, possibly Senate control, and President Trump's agenda are all on the ballot and up for grabs. And every new poll, every piece of campaign news has the potential to shift the odds. CalSheet, America's number one prediction market platform, lets you trade those predictions in a live market. 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In today's Back of the Brief, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has defied the exit polls. But can he assemble a government? Israel's first election since the October 7 attacks drew the highest turnout since 1999. Now, with the count shifting in his favor but a majority still out of reach, Israel faces weeks of political wrangling. Let's start with where the count stands. With approximately 85% of the vote in favor of Netanyahu, Israel's first election since the October 7 attacks drew the highest turnout since 1999. With approximately 85% of the vote counted, Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc is projected to win 53 seats in Israel's 120-member parliament that's referred to as the Knesset. The opposition bloc, led by former Israeli military chief Gadi Eizenkot, trails with 48. Arab parties are on track for a historic 19 seats. Now, the number Netanyahu needs for an outright majority is 61. So, he is still, if my math is correct, eight seats short. At Eisenkot's campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, supporters initially were celebrating. The initial exit polls put his block ahead, and Eisenkot called on Netanyahu to accept the results and step down. But as the count progressed, Netanyahu's position improved. From his own headquarters in Jerusalem, he declared Likud the country's largest party and called for a strong right-wing government. And the counting isn't finished yet. Hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by soldiers, diplomats, prisoners, and others using special voting procedures have yet to be fully incorporated. Those votes could still change how the seats are distributed. So, you ask, and it's a good question to ask, what happens now? Well, in Israel, voters choose a party list for parliament. Their votes determine how the Knesset seats are divided. There's no separate vote for prime minister. Parties bargain over leadership, policies, and cabinet positions to build a governing coalition. The goal is a reliable parliamentary majority and a successful confidence vote. So, the finishing ahead gives Netanyahu a stronger position at the negotiating table, but it does not automatically give him the next government. For that, his most direct route would be persuading lawmakers outside his bloc to close the eight-seat gap. Opposition leaders pledged not to join another Netanyahu-led coalition, and so far there's no indication that enough of them are prepared to change their minds. A unity agreement with Eisenkot is another theoretical option, but Netanyahu's call for a strong right-wing government suggests he's looking to expand his existing camp. Eisenkot, meanwhile, has a different problem. Combine his bloc's 48 seats with the Arab party's likely 19, and you get 67. That's a parliamentary majority. But putting those numbers together is easier than putting those parties together. Democrats leader Yair Golan supports cooperating with Arab parties to replace Netanyahu. Eisenhower, however, has previously opposed, including Ra'am, an Arab political party led by Mansour Abbas, in his coalition. Netanyahu has also warned against a government dependent on Arab political support. Still, those conversations are happening. The leader of Ram told Israel's Channel 12, quote, Everyone is talking to us, not just the change bloc, end quote. Arab parties could recommend Isingkot to President Isaac Herzog without joining his government. They could also support a minority government from outside the cabinet. Are you following all this? It's very complicated. And that's where Herzog comes in. Unlike an American president, he doesn't lead the government. His role here is to consult with the parliamentary parties and assign a lawmaker the task of trying to form the next government. Official results are scheduled for the 4th of November, with those consultations expected early next week. And if that attempt fails, Israel doesn't immediately head back to the polls. Another lawmaker can get a chance. Still, are you following this? Parliament also has a further opportunity to rally behind a candidate before the process ends in another election. And that's why the negotiations could stretch on for weeks. If those efforts ultimately fail, Israelis could find themselves voting again as early as April. And until a new government forms, Netanyahu remains prime minister. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, the 29th of October. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, just reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And of course, if you're hankering for an ad-free PDB experience, and when was the last time you heard somebody say hankering, we've got you covered. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. It really is that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Stay cool.