Recent refrigeration failures at U.S. military installations, including an incident where all freezers at Fort Huachuca went into defrost mode overnight, highlight potential vulnerabilities in military base operational technology. While these occurrences may stem from routine equipment malfunctions, they illustrate how foreign adversaries could probe critical base infrastructure below the threshold of traditional armed conflict.
Chinese state-sponsored groups like Volt Typhoon have previously infiltrated American critical infrastructure, positioning themselves for potential disruption during a crisis. Operational technology such as heating, cooling, and water systems now faces expanded digital connectivity, increasing the attack surface. Congress and the Pentagon must prioritize operational technology security alongside traditional cybersecurity to ensure installation resilience against coordinated disruptions.
The integration of networked operational technology into military installations expands the attack surface well beyond traditional classified networks. When refrigeration and building-management systems are digitized, the logistics hubs supporting platforms like the F-35 Lightning II become vulnerable to low-threshold disruption. This shifts the strategic calculus for state-sponsored actors seeking to complicate mobilization without triggering a conventional military response.
Expanding supply-chain scrutiny to encompass commercial off-the-shelf facility hardware remains a persistent challenge for procurement oversight. Without comprehensive visibility into the provenance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning components deployed across installations like Fort Huachuca, detection capabilities lag behind the persistent infiltration methods demonstrated by actors such as Volt Typhoon.
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