Days before US unveiled 90-day military readiness plan, mysterious freezer malfunctions hit bases. What we know

Mysterious freezer malfunctions at US military base commissaries in August are being investigated as a suspected cyberattack, raising questions about a possible connection to similar incidents involving supermarket refrigeration systems in France. The incidents occurred weeks before the Pentagon announced its FORTRESS initiative, a proposed plan requiring major US military installations to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days during a major conflict or disruption to critical infrastructure.

According to Reuters, the malfunctions affected at least six commissaries — on-base stores where military personnel purchase food. The incidents were reported in August, and investigators are examining whether hackers deliberately manipulated the refrigeration systems. "In at least one of the cases, the freezers did not simply stop working; the cooling units' temperatures were cranked up overnight, yielding mounds of wilted or melted food in the morning," Reuters reported.

The Fort Huachuca military base in Arizona acknowledged a freezer incident in a Facebook post on August 26, explaining that a freezer had "went into defrost mode where it heated up all the food." The post added: "Trust us when we say it was 'spoiled.'"


The series of freezer malfunctions and the possibility of cybersabotage were first reported on August 28 by Signal and Silence, a recently established blog. Stars and Stripes subsequently reported the involvement of military investigators, while Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that US investigators had contacted their French counterparts over similar incidents.

The information that investigators were treating the US incidents as a suspected cyberattack was reported by Reuters. It remains unclear whether the Pentagon's investigation has concluded or whether investigators have identified the cause of the malfunctions or those responsible.

French freezer cyberattack raises questions

Nearly two months after the US incidents, freezer malfunctions struck supermarkets across France. The incidents reportedly involved temperature controls being overridden on commercial refrigeration units at more than 350 establishments, forcing supermarkets to clear their frozen-food aisles of spoiled merchandise.

The French incidents bore similarities to the US cases. Rather than simply shutting down refrigeration systems, the alleged attackers raised temperatures inside the units. Some refrigeration units in France reportedly became so hot that they caught fire.

A supermarket owner estimated earlier this month that the total cost of the French incidents could reach tens of millions of euros nationwide.

The French cyberattack appeared to exploit weaknesses in refrigeration control systems, experts previously told Reuters. Danish company Danfoss, whose controllers were used in many of the affected units, said some devices were obsolete or running outdated firmware, potentially making them easier to compromise.

Reuters could not establish whether Danfoss controllers or equipment from any other manufacturer were used at the affected US military bases. Danfoss did not respond to requests for comment.

US military investigators had been in contact with their French counterparts about the incidents involving commercial freezers in France, according to the reports.

Previous attacks on refrigeration systems

Cyberattacks on refrigeration and other industrial control systems are not new. In 2022, hackers reportedly targeted or breached supermarkets in Russia and Israel that were using obsolete versions of Danfoss cold-storage controllers.

In December 2025, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles accused a Ukrainian woman of being part of a hacking group that disrupted refrigeration at a meatpacking facility in 2024, ruining more than 2,000 pounds of meat.

These incidents illustrate how vulnerabilities in equipment used to control temperature and other industrial processes can cause physical damage and financial losses, even without directly targeting conventional IT systems.

Whether the US military base incidents involved similar vulnerabilities remains unknown.

What is the Pentagon's FORTRESS plan?

The Pentagon is reportedly developing a plan requiring major military installations in the continental United States to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days.

According to reports, the initiative is called FORTRESS, which stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability.

The proposed plan aims to strengthen military readiness in the event of a major conflict, a prolonged emergency or a disruption to critical infrastructure.

The 90-day requirement would extend beyond electricity to include water, fuel, communications and other essential services needed to keep military installations operational during a prolonged crisis.

The initiative reportedly envisages using portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids that can disconnect military bases from civilian electricity networks.

FORTRESS would also involve building strategic reserves of ammunition, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies.

Another proposed measure would require at least two qualified supply or production routes for the military's most critical requirements, reducing dependence on a single factory or supplier.

The freezer incidents occurred before the reported development of the FORTRESS plan became public. However, there is no established evidence that the suspected cyberattack prompted the initiative or that the two developments are connected.