The Army plans to deploy more than 20 nuclear microreactors across five installations under its Janus Program, awarding up to $2.2 billion over five years as the military seeks long-duration power that can keep critical operations running independently of the commercial electric grid.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
The U.S. Army is moving ahead with one of the military’s most ambitious nuclear-energy initiatives in decades, selecting five companies to develop and operate small nuclear reactors at installations stretching from New York to Texas.
Under plans announced Wednesday, the Army could provide the companies with as much as $2.2 billion over five years if they meet a series of performance milestones. More than 20 nuclear microreactors are ultimately expected to be constructed and operated through the effort.
The installations selected for the program are Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Drum in New York.
The Army paired one company with each location: Antares Nuclear at Fort Bragg, BWXT at Fort Campbell, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood, Radiant Industries at Fort Benning and Westinghouse Government Services at Fort Drum.
The reactors would provide military installations with a source of steady power capable of continuing to operate if the civilian electric grid goes down.
Army officials say that capability is increasingly important because modern military bases depend heavily on uninterrupted electricity for communications, logistics, computing, security systems and other critical functions.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the awards are intended to accelerate the military’s ability “to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations.”
“We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids,” Driscoll said.
Unlike conventional emergency generators, nuclear microreactors can potentially operate for years without being refueled.
The Army currently relies primarily on diesel generation to provide backup power for critical infrastructure. In a major conflict, however, officials are concerned that transporting large volumes of fuel could become difficult or impossible.
Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, said that logistical vulnerability makes nuclear power particularly attractive.
“That makes nuclear energy just a natural game changer,” Waksman said. “It makes sense for the Army to take the lead here.”
The effort falls under the Army’s Janus Program, which was launched last year to move advanced nuclear technology beyond research projects and prototypes and toward sustained operational use.
The program takes its name from Janus, the ancient Roman god associated with transitions.
Waksman described the Army’s role as the leading edge of a broader effort to commercialize advanced nuclear designs.
This will be the “spear tip,” he said.
“That is the transition that we are trying to effect here,” Waksman told reporters Wednesday. “These are not meant to be Army-specific designs.”
The Army intends for participating companies to develop reactors that could eventually be adapted for wider civilian or commercial use rather than creating technologies that can function only on military installations.
The initiative comes as the Trump administration accelerates efforts to expand nuclear power in the United States.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders in May 2025 aimed at speeding development of nuclear energy.
Among the administration’s goals is having an advanced reactor operating at a domestic military installation no later than Sept. 30, 2028.
The broader nuclear push also includes billions of dollars in loans for large-scale reactors as utilities and technology companies confront rapidly increasing electricity demand from data centers.
The administration has separately launched a pilot program intended to advance new reactor technologies for both military and civilian applications.
At present, no nuclear microreactors are providing electricity to the commercial U.S. power grid.
The Army’s program could therefore serve as an early real-world proving ground for technologies that developers hope eventually can be deployed more broadly.
Officials acknowledge that successfully bringing a new nuclear reactor into operation at a military installation will be difficult.
That is one reason the Army selected five different companies rather than relying on a single reactor developer.
Waksman said the diversified approach provides alternatives if one or more companies fail to meet their milestones.
The reactors are expected to vary significantly in size depending on the design.
Each unit would generate between 1 megawatt and 20 megawatts of electricity.
Large military bases can consume amounts of electricity comparable to a small city, meaning the microreactors would not be expected to supply every watt used by the installations.
The five bases will remain connected to commercial electric grids even after the reactors are installed.
Instead, the nuclear systems are intended to provide resilient local generation that can continue supporting essential operations if outside power becomes unavailable.
Some companies plan to combine multiple units.
Antares Nuclear and Radiant Industries, for example, plan to deliver their reactors in groups of three, according to Waksman.
The Army itself will license the reactors rather than the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates commercial nuclear power facilities.
Army officials nevertheless want the regulatory requirements to resemble civilian standards closely enough that companies can later pursue NRC approval without substantially redesigning their systems.
Waksman said the Army is working to align its regulatory framework with the NRC process as much as practical.
Alongside federal funding, officials expect the initiative to attract billions of dollars in private investment.
Safety and radioactive waste are among the issues likely to draw scrutiny as the program advances.
Critics of nuclear expansion argue that new reactors are too expensive and can present greater risks than alternative energy sources.
Waksman said the microreactor designs would be capable of safely shutting themselves down if a failure occurs and emphasized that their relatively small size is an important part of their safety profile.
He said the Army would not install a reactor unless officials were satisfied that it could be operated safely.
The Army is also working with the Energy Department on an arrangement for handling radioactive waste.
Waksman said the installations would not be used for long-term radioactive waste storage.
Fort Drum’s inclusion drew support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had urged the Army to select the New York installation.
Schumer said Fort Drum’s missions require secure, dependable and resilient electricity generation.
The Army also has a long history with military nuclear power.
A reactor at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, completed in 1957, became the first nuclear power reactor in the United States to supply electricity to a commercial power grid for an extended period, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The latest initiative attempts to revive that military role in nuclear development using much smaller and more portable designs.
Several of the companies selected by the Army have already been advancing their reactor technologies through other federal programs.
California-based Antares recently reached a significant milestone through a U.S. pilot program that could allow the company to begin generating electricity within several years. The company said its selection for Janus builds on that progress.
Radiant Industries also welcomed the award.
Tori Shivanandan, president and chief operating officer of California-based Radiant, said the Army’s $750 million award “shows confidence in Radiant’s product and ability to manufacture, deploy and safely operate nuclear microreactors for the American military.”
The Janus program “will build a stronger and more resilient America,” Shivanandan said.
BWXT President and Chief Executive Officer Rex Geveden similarly described the program as a major step toward practical nuclear deployment.
“As we commence work on the Janus program, we are delivering the nation’s most credible and reliable path to deployable nuclear power,” Geveden said.
The Army’s immediate objective is not to disconnect bases from the commercial grid but to ensure that critical military functions are no longer completely dependent on it.
If the program succeeds, installations could maintain essential power during outages, attacks or other disruptions without relying solely on continuous deliveries of diesel fuel.
At the same time, Army officials hope the effort will help advanced reactors cross the difficult gap between experimental technology and dependable long-term operation.
With five companies, five installations and potentially more than 20 reactors involved, the Janus Program is positioned to become a major test of whether nuclear microreactors can provide the military with reliable, independent energy while also creating technologies suitable for broader use beyond the armed forces.
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