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Pentagon Probes Suspected Hack Behind Spoiled Food at Six Military Bases
Freezers of at least six U.S. military commissaries malfunctioned in August, ruining food supplies. Investigators are examining whether the failures were caused by a cyberattack.
Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Opens New Commissary (DeCA photo: Nancy O'Nell)
A freezer malfunction at a military base might sound like an ordinary equipment failure. But after similar incidents affected at least six U.S. military commissaries, the Pentagon is investigating a more troubling possibility: a cyberattack.
The incidents occurred in August. At Fort Huachuca, Arizona, a freezer reportedly switched into defrost mode and heated the food inside, leaving frozen products spoiled by morning. Fort Irwin, California, also experienced refrigeration problems.
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Reuters reported on October 29 that U.S. officials are treating the failures as suspected cyberattacks. Four officials familiar with the matter told the news agency that investigators are examining whether hackers interfered with the refrigeration systems.
The investigation involves several U.S. military and law enforcement agencies, including the Army Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Cyber Command. U.S. investigators have also contacted French law enforcement about similar refrigeration incidents reported in France.
The French incidents have drawn attention because of their similarities to the U.S. cases. However, investigators have not established that the incidents in the two countries are connected.
Military commissaries are grocery stores on U.S. installations that serve service members, retirees and their families. Refrigeration failures at multiple locations can disrupt access to food and force stores to discard spoiled products.
So far, the Pentagon has not publicly identified a suspect, confirmed how the U.S. systems were compromised, or established that a cyberattack caused the failures. The investigation remains ongoing.
What began as a series of freezer malfunctions has become a security investigation involving military installations. Whether the incidents were deliberate attacks or equipment failures remains to be determined.
Editor’s Note: This article is based primarily on Reuters’ October 29, 2026 reporting. The suspected cyberattack has not been publicly confirmed, and no connection between the U.S. and French incidents has been established.
