Latest / The President's Daily Brief / October 29th, 2026: Why Is the Pentagon Preparing for a 90-Day Emergency? & U.S. Warns of Iran War

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October 29th, 2026: Why Is the Pentagon Preparing for a 90-Day Emergency? & U.S. Warns of Iran War · The President's Daily Brief

0:13
It's Thursday,
0:14
the twenty-ninth of October.
0:16
Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.
0:18
I'm Mike Baker,
0:19
your eyes and ears on the world stage,
0:21
and yes,
0:22
thank you for noticing
0:23
I am back out on the road.
0:26
All right.
0:27
Let's get briefed.
0:28
First up,
0:28
the Pentagon is ordering military bases in the US
0:32
to prepare to operate independently during a crisis for at least 90 days
0:38
while Britain urges citizens to stockpile emergency supplies.
0:42
So
0:44
are Western governments preparing for something that they know is coming
0:47
or simply taking precautions?
0:49
We'll separate the speculation from the facts.
0:53
Later in the show,
0:53
the US is reportedly warning its Gulf allies
0:57
to prepare for another round of war with
0:59
Iran potentially just days after the midterm elections,
1:02
which of course are just around the corner.
1:04
Plus,
1:05
Ukraine reveals a secret battlefield operation
1:08
that turned Russia's own tactics against the Russian military,
1:12
sending troops through underground gas pipelines to ambush enemy positions.
1:17
And in today's back of the brief,
1:19
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu performs better than expected
1:22
in Israel's elections but remains short of the seats needed to form a government.
1:27
But first,
1:28
today's PDB spotlight.
1:31
If you've been watching the news or scrolling through social media lately,
1:35
you may have noticed a little bit of,
1:37
uh,
1:37
dramatic speculation around a newly publicized Pentagon initiative.
1:42
Now there are reports that the Pentagon is preparing American military
1:45
bases to operate for 90 days without any outside support.
1:50
Separately,
1:51
the British government is urging citizens to stockpile food,
1:55
water,
1:55
and emergency supplies.
1:57
Those revelations have some people wondering,
1:59
as they do,
2:01
whether Western governments know something that the rest of us don't.
2:04
Before we start building backyard bomb shelters,
2:07
and let's look at what's actually happening
2:09
first.
2:10
Let's take a peek at the Pentagon.
2:12
According to Fox News Digital,
2:13
the military wants major installations across the continental US
2:18
to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days.
2:22
It's part of an initiative called Fortress America because
2:26
you knew it had to have a catchy name
2:28
announced by the Pentagon back in September.
2:31
The idea is to make bases less dependent on civilian infrastructure
2:35
by securing independent electricity,
2:37
water,
2:38
fuel,
2:38
communications,
2:39
and supply chains.
2:41
Officials are even considering portable nuclear reactors.
2:44
Well,
2:44
who isn't,
2:45
and micro grids to keep installations running
2:47
if the surrounding power grid fails.
2:50
And there's a logical reason for that type of crisis management planning.
2:55
Imagine a confrontation between the US and China.
2:58
American forces prepare to deploy overseas,
3:01
but a coordinated cyber attack knocks out
3:03
electrical grids and transportation networks or water systems
3:07
in the US.
3:09
Bases that depend on those services could struggle to.
3:12
Operate before the first American aircraft even take off.
3:15
Fortress is meant to prevent that.
3:18
It's not evidence that the Pentagon knows an attack is coming tomorrow.
3:22
It's simply common sense.
3:24
It's an acknowledgement that the home front
3:26
could be a target in a future war.
3:29
Now on to Britain,
3:31
where last Thursday the government launched a
3:33
public preparedness campaign called Be Ready.
3:36
Oh,
3:37
that's catchy.
3:38
Officials are recommending that households keep enough nonperishable food,
3:42
drinking water,
3:43
medications,
3:43
batteries,
3:44
flashlights,
3:44
and
3:45
other essentials
3:46
to get through 72 hours without normal services.
3:50
The suggested water supply is roughly 9 L per person.
3:54
And the government isn't talking exclusively about storms and floods.
3:58
Its list of potential disruptions includes cyber attacks,
4:01
sabotage,
4:02
and failures of critical infrastructure.
4:05
And as with the Fortress America initiative,
4:08
there is common sense at play with Britain's crisis management planning.
4:12
Households should be able to weather at least a few days
4:15
without essential government services.
4:17
It doesn't make you a prepper.
4:20
It just means you're planning for potential unknowns.
4:23
There's also a military backdrop here.
4:25
British defense leaders have warned that NATO must
4:28
be ready for the possibility of a major confrontation
4:31
by the end of the decade,
4:33
as Russia and other adversaries strengthen their capabilities.
4:37
The UK's Guardian news outlet reports that British retailer Iceland
4:42
saw canned food sales jump 40% after the announcement,
4:46
although other supermarkets reported little change.
4:49
But here's some context that often gets lost online.
4:53
Oftentimes context is lost online.
4:56
Neither of these programs came out of nowhere.
4:58
The Pentagon announced Fortress back in September,
5:01
and making hundreds of military installations self-sufficient,
5:05
well,
5:05
that could take years,
5:06
even decades.
5:07
Britain has recommended household emergency supplies since 2024,
5:12
and the latest campaign
5:13
was planned months in advance.
5:16
Now that doesn't mean that the threats are imaginary or not plausible.
5:20
Earlier this month,
5:21
the head of Britain's MI5 warned about
5:23
the growing danger of hostile state operations,
5:26
including
5:26
from Russia and Iran.
5:28
Here in the US,
5:29
cybersecurity agencies have documented Chinese state sponsored hackers
5:33
penetrating critical infrastructure networks.
5:36
Officials worry that in a confrontation over Taiwan,
5:39
for example,
5:40
Beijing could use that access
5:42
to disrupt American energy,
5:44
water,
5:45
communications,
5:45
or transportation systems.
5:48
These concerns have been building for years,
5:50
and they're among the reasons that
5:52
governments are investing in resilience.
5:55
China,
5:55
Russia,
5:56
North Korea,
5:57
Iran,
5:58
and others
5:59
are constantly poking and prodding at the US and allies' critical infrastructure,
6:04
looking for weak links,
6:06
unguarded avenues of approach,
6:08
and points of potential attack
6:10
in everything from transportation networks to banking infrastructure,
6:14
power grids,
6:14
water facilities,
6:15
and energy.
6:16
The goal has been,
6:18
particularly for China.
6:20
To build a playbook for any future major global conflict
6:24
with a key strategy being
6:26
how to deliver pain to your adversary's homeland quickly and efficiently.
6:31
Take down the power grid,
6:32
upend delivery of essentials such as fuel or pharmaceuticals or food,
6:37
disrupt water supplies,
6:38
shut down communications,
6:40
GPS,
6:40
and satellite connectivity.
6:42
Turn your adversary's homeland into a battlefield without dropping a bomb.
6:47
That's why the future of warfare in large part
6:50
will be in cyberspace and space.
6:53
For generations,
6:54
Americans have largely thought of war as something that happens somewhere else.
6:58
We send troops abroad.
7:00
Uh,
7:00
US aircraft carriers deploy.
7:02
Jets fly missions thousands of miles from home.
7:05
But modern conflict doesn't respect those boundaries.
7:08
An adversary might never fire a missile at an American city.
7:11
And still cause serious disruption through a cyber attack
7:15
on the systems that Americans depend on every day.
7:18
That possibility is what connects these stories.
7:21
The Pentagon preparing its bases to keep operating while
7:24
Britain is encouraging households to weather an initial disruption.
7:29
So
7:30
what should Americans take away from all of this?
7:32
Well,
7:33
first of all,
7:33
there's no reason to panic,
7:34
no matter how hysterical some of the social media conspiracy theories may be.
7:39
Emergency preparedness isn't a new idea.
7:42
US federal guidance has long recommended keeping at least 3 days of food and water,
7:47
along with medications and flashlights and batteries and other essentials.
7:50
That's useful whether the problem turns out to be a cyber attack,
7:54
a hurricane,
7:54
or a prolonged power outage.
7:57
And those 1st 72 hours can be especially difficult if grocery stores can't process
8:02
payments or gas stations can't pump fuel or cell phones can't be recharged.
8:07
Having a modest emergency kit simply gives your family a
8:10
little breathing room until normal services return or assistance arrives.
8:15
Think of it like keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
8:18
You don't buy one because you're convinced your house will catch on fire tomorrow.
8:23
You buy it because,
8:24
well,
8:24
emergencies can happen.
8:26
And you'd rather be ready than caught off guard.
8:28
The same logic applies to keeping basic supplies at home.
8:32
No need to empty the supermarket shelves or assume
8:35
these government announcements mean catastrophe is around the corner.
8:38
But checking what you have on hand and making a simple family emergency plan,
8:42
well,
8:42
that's just common sense.
8:44
And make sure you have a communications plan for your family included.
8:49
Coming up next,
8:50
speaking of being prepared,
8:52
the US reportedly warns Gulf allies to prepare for another war with Iran,
8:57
and Ukraine reveals a secret operation
9:00
using underground pipelines to ambush Russian forces.
9:04
I'll be right back.
9:06
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10:35
The US is reportedly preparing for another major military campaign against Iran,
10:41
potentially launching new strikes just days after next week's midterm elections.
10:46
And according to the Wall Street Journal,
10:48
Washington is already warning its allies in the Middle East
10:51
to prepare for what could be
10:53
a short but intense round of fighting.
10:56
The Journal reports that American officials
10:58
have communicated those warnings to several Gulf Arab governments through
11:02
diplomatic and military channels as preparations for another offensive
11:07
appear to be accelerating,
11:08
and there are some concrete signs that the Pentagon is getting ready.
11:12
The US is reportedly sending another Patriot
11:15
missile defense system from Texas to Israel
11:17
while American troops have been moved away
11:19
from vulnerable bases across the Middle East.
11:22
US forces are also replenishing their weapons supplies
11:25
with bombers and fighter jets preparing for potential strikes.
11:29
Meanwhile,
11:30
another aircraft carrier strike group and
11:32
marine expeditionary unit are expected to join
11:35
the roughly 20 American warships already operating in the region next month,
11:40
although some vessels could rotate out.
11:43
Taken together,
11:44
these moves suggest that the Pentagon is making sure
11:47
that it has the forces in place should the White House give the order.
11:50
And according to people familiar with this thinking,
11:53
President Trump is leaning toward a major
11:55
offensive after the November 3rd elections,
11:58
potentially targeting Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities.
12:03
The White House declined to comment on what it called sensitive military plans
12:07
while reiterating that the president is keeping every option available
12:11
to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
12:14
Trump himself has been hinting at another round of fighting.
12:17
At a rally last week,
12:18
he suggested the US might launch another operation similar to Epic Fury,
12:23
the American and Israeli bombing campaign from earlier this year.
12:27
Or,
12:27
as Trump put it,
12:28
Iran could simply agree to a deal.
12:31
Yes,
12:31
but what are the odds of that?
12:33
And that brings us to what Washington may actually be trying to accomplish.
12:37
For months,
12:37
the Trump administration has been tightening the economic pressure on Tehran.
12:41
American sanctions and a naval blockade
12:43
have severely restricted Iranian oil exports,
12:47
while restrictions on aviation and overland
12:49
trade have further isolated the country.
12:52
The Iranian economy is already struggling,
12:54
and Washington appears to believe that another round of military pressure
12:59
could finally force the regime to accept American demands,
13:03
but
13:03
there's a problem with that strategy.
13:06
Iran has already endured an extraordinary amount of punishment.
13:09
According to the journal,
13:11
American and Israeli forces conducted more than 20,000 strikes
13:15
during the most intense phase of the war,
13:17
and yet the regime remains in power.
13:20
Iran continues to threaten American interests across the region,
13:24
and despite the damage to its military,
13:26
Tehran reportedly retains hundreds,
13:28
potentially thousands of ballistic missiles,
13:30
and the Iranian regime
13:32
continues to supply and provide guidance to and instruction.
13:36
To their key proxies,
13:37
most notably the Houthis and Hezbollah.
13:40
Israeli officials are also concerned about how quickly Iran
13:43
has begun rebuilding portions of its missile arsenal,
13:46
assembling new weapons from
13:47
components that it already has in storage.
13:51
Meanwhile,
13:51
diplomatic efforts to avoid another confrontation
13:54
have made little to no progress.
13:57
Regional mediators are attempting to restart negotiations,
14:00
but Washington continues to demand concessions on Iran's nuclear program,
14:04
while Tehran insists on sanctions relief
14:07
and an end to the American blockade.
14:10
Now the stakes of another offensive are considerable,
14:14
as you might imagine.
14:16
Iran has warned that renewed American and Israeli
14:18
strikes would trigger retaliation against economic and civilian targets
14:22
throughout the Middle East.
14:24
That's particularly concerning because
14:26
American and allied missile defenses
14:28
have already been stretched by months of Iranian attacks.
14:32
There's also the financial cost.
14:34
The Journal reports that the war has already cost the
14:37
United States an estimated $47 billion that's with a B,
14:41
$47 billion
14:43
including roughly $29 billion spent on munitions alone.
14:47
So the question now
14:49
is whether Washington is genuinely preparing for another major offensive
14:54
or whether these military preparations are intended to convince Tehran
14:58
that refusing to negotiate will come at an even greater price.
15:03
All right,
15:03
let's turn to the Ukraine conflict.
15:06
President Zelensky says his troops are reclaiming territory on
15:09
a battlefield where progress has been painfully slow,
15:13
and he highlighted a secret operation
15:15
where Ukrainian forces advanced nearly 10 miles through
15:18
underground gas pipelines to outflank Russian troops.
15:23
The mission was dubbed Operation Veles,
15:25
and according to Zelensky,
15:26
it eliminated
15:28
more than 100 Russian soldiers
15:30
and captured more than 30 others.
15:32
The reported losses have not been independently verified.
15:36
Zelensky discussed the mission alongside several other operations
15:40
in his Tuesday night address to the nation,
15:42
saying Ukraine's battlefield position
15:43
is now the strongest that it's been in some time.
15:47
So
15:47
how exactly did Operation Velli work?
15:50
Well,
15:50
troops from the National Guard's 2nd Khartia Corps joined other Ukrainian units
15:55
in moving through the pipelines to reach Russian positions from behind.
15:59
This was carried out near Kupansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
16:04
The corps says that the advance was coordinated with operations above ground,
16:08
including drone strikes.
16:09
Zelensky described it this way,
16:11
quote,
16:12
It was a strong operation,
16:13
well planned and technology driven.
16:15
The Russians had previously tried to use underground gas pipelines
16:19
to advance past our positions,
16:21
end quote.
16:22
On the 12th of September back in 2025,
16:25
Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group Deep State reported
16:29
that Russian troops had used a gas pipeline
16:31
to bypass the Oskil River and penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Kubansk.
16:37
Now Ukraine says it adapted that same approach
16:40
to strike the invading force.
16:42
Zelensky said,
16:43
quote,
16:43
Ukrainian warriors have successfully transformed this tactic,
16:46
modernized it,
16:47
and made it much more sophisticated and technologically advanced.
16:51
For Ukrainian troops going underground,
16:53
let them bypass exposed terrain
16:56
and threaten Russian positions from behind
16:58
on a battlefield dominated by drones and artillery.
17:01
Well,
17:01
that's a valuable advantage,
17:03
of course.
17:04
The corps had already described Veles publicly by the 22nd
17:08
of October before Zelensky discussed it in his Tuesday address.
17:12
Kupansk sits near key transportation routes and the Oskil River.
17:16
Ukrainian forces recaptured the city back in September of 2022.
17:21
But Russia has kept the surrounding area under pressure ever since,
17:25
trying to recover lost ground
17:26
and push farther across eastern Ukraine.
17:29
Zelensky didn't specify how much territory,
17:31
if any,
17:32
Operation Veles had recaptured.
17:34
His broader announcement about taking back ground
17:38
did include operations elsewhere,
17:40
and one of those is Operation Vivaldi,
17:42
which Ukraine's Third Army Corps has been
17:44
conducting in the northern Donetsk region.
17:47
A senior commander reported in September that Ukrainian troops had
17:50
cleared Russian infiltration groups from approximately 29 square miles.
17:55
That's an area larger than,
17:56
uh,
17:57
Manhattan,
17:58
and recaptured another 4 square miles of territory.
18:01
Zelensky also pointed to a separate Ukrainian
18:03
air assault operation in eastern Ukraine,
18:05
although the reporting provided few details about that mission.
18:10
And farther south,
18:10
he said in August that another offensive
18:12
had returned 26 villages to Ukrainian control.
18:16
Now,
18:17
as has been the case throughout the several years of Putin's invasion,
18:21
independent verification of claims from either
18:23
side is often difficult or impossible.
18:27
Russian commanders repeatedly claim their
18:29
forces are advancing across all sections
18:32
of the roughly 750 mile
18:34
front line.
18:35
Earlier this month,
18:36
the Russian general staff chief claimed Moscow
18:39
had captured 92 Ukrainian settlements since the beginning of September.
18:44
Ukraine's military
18:45
rejected those statements.
18:49
OK.
18:49
In today's back of the brief,
18:50
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu beats expectations
18:53
in Israel's elections but falls short
18:56
of a governing majority,
18:57
potentially setting the stage for weeks of political uncertainty
19:01
and backroom power deals among the smaller political parties.
19:05
More on that
19:07
when we come back.
19:10
Hey,
19:10
Mike Baker here.
19:11
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22:23
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22:25
Text PDB
22:26
to 36912.
22:28
Check them out,
22:29
Bearskin.
22:32
In today's back of the brief,
22:34
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has defied the exit polls,
22:38
but can he assemble a government?
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Israel's first election since the October 7th attacks
22:44
drew the highest turnout since 1999.
22:48
Now,
22:48
with the count shifting in his favor,
22:50
but a majority still out of reach,
22:52
Israel faces weeks of political wrangling.
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Let's start with where the count stands.
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With approximately 85% of the vote counted,
23:00
Netanyahu's right wing and religious bloc
23:02
is projected to win 53 seats in Israel's 120 member parliament.
23:07
That's referred to as the Knesset.
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The opposition bloc led by former Israeli military chief Gadi Eizenkott
23:14
trails with 48.
23:15
Arab parties are on track for a historic 19 seats.
23:19
Now the number Netanyahu needs for an outright majority is 61,
23:24
so he is still,
23:26
if my math is correct,
23:28
8 seeds short.
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At Eisenkott's campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night,
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supporters initially were celebrating.
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The initial exit polls put his bloc ahead,
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and Eisenkott called on Netanyahu to accept the results and step down.
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But as the count progressed,
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Netanyahu's position improved.
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From his own headquarters in Jerusalem,
23:48
he declared the Likud the country's largest party
23:50
and called for a strong right-wing government.
23:53
And the counting isn't finished yet.
23:55
Hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by soldiers,
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diplomats,
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prisoners,
23:59
and others
23:59
using special voting procedures
24:01
have yet to be fully incorporated.
24:03
Those votes could still change how the seats are distributed.
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So you ask,
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and it's a good question to ask,
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what happens now?
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Well,
24:11
in Israel,
24:12
voters choose a party list for parliament.
24:14
Their votes determine how the Knesset seats are divided.
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There's no separate vote for prime minister.
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Parties bargain over leadership policies,
24:23
and cabinet positions
24:24
to build a governing coalition.
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The goal is a reliable parliamentary majority and a successful confidence vote.
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So the finishing ahead gives Netanyahu a
24:34
stronger position at the negotiating table,
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but it does not automatically give him the next government.
24:40
For that,
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his most direct route would be persuading lawmakers outside his bloc
24:44
to close the eight-seat gap.
24:47
Opposition leaders pledged not to join another Netanyahu-led coalition.
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And so far there's no indication
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that enough of them are prepared to change their minds.
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A unity agreement with Eisenkott is another theoretical option,
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but Netanyahu's call for a strong right-wing government
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suggests he's looking to expand his existing camp.
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Eisennkott meanwhile
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has a different problem.
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Combine his bloc's 48 seats with the Arab parties likely 19,
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and you get 67.
25:16
That's a parliamentary majority.
25:19
But putting those numbers together is easier than putting those parties together.
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Democrats leader Yer Golan supports cooperating
25:26
with Arab parties to replace Netanyahu.
25:28
Eisenkott,
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however,
25:30
has previously opposed,
25:31
including Raam,
25:32
an Arab political party led by Mansour Abbas
25:35
in his coalition.
25:36
Netanyahu has also warned against a
25:38
government dependent on Arab political support.
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Still,
25:42
those conversations are happening.
25:44
The leader of Ram told Israel's Channel 12,
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quote,
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Everyone is talking to us,
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not just the Change bloc,
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end quote.
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Arab parties
25:52
could recommend Eisenkott to President Isaac
25:55
Herzog without joining his government.
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They could also support a minority government from outside the cabinet.
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Are you following all this?
26:03
It's very complicated,
26:04
and that's where Hertzog comes in.
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Unlike an American president,
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he doesn't lead the government.
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His role here is to consult with the parliamentary parties
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and assign a lawmaker the task of trying to form the next government.
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Official results are scheduled for the 4th of November,
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with those consultations expected
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early next week.
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And if that attempt fails,
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Israel doesn't immediately head back to the polls.
26:27
Another lawmaker can get a chance.
26:29
Still,
26:30
are you following this?
26:31
Parliament also has a further opportunity to rally behind a candidate
26:35
before the process ends
26:36
in another election,
26:38
and that's why the negotiations
26:40
could stretch on for weeks.
26:42
If those efforts ultimately fail,
26:44
Israelis could find themselves voting again
26:46
as early as April.
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And until a new government forms,
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Netanyahu remains prime minister.
26:54
And that my friends,
26:55
is the president's daily brief for Thursday,
26:57
the 29th of October.
26:58
Now,
26:59
if you have any questions or comments,
27:00
and I hope you do,
27:00
just reach out to me at PDB@thfirsttv.com.
27:05
And of course if you're hankering for an ad-free PDB experience,
27:08
and when was the last time you heard somebody say hankering.
27:11
We've got you covered.
27:12
Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief
27:15
by visiting PDBpremium.com.
27:18
It really is that simple.
27:20
I'm Mike Baker,
27:21
and I'll be back later today
27:22
with the PDB afternoon bulletin.
27:24
Until then,
27:26
stay informed,
27:27
stay safe,
27:28
stay cool.