More than 20 reactors to be installed within 5 years; first operation targeted by September 2028

Westinghouse [Reuters]
Westinghouse [Reuters]

The US Army will commit up to $2.2 billion to deploy small nuclear reactors at five military bases across the country, as part of the Donald Trump administration's push to revive the American nuclear industry and strengthen energy independence at military installations.

According to the Army and Bloomberg, the service has selected five nuclear companies to participate in its next-generation nuclear initiative, known as the Janus Program, along with five military bases where reactors will be deployed first. The announcement came Wednesday (local time).

Westinghouse Government Services will build a reactor at Fort Drum in New York. Antares Nuclear will work at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, BWXT Advanced Technologies at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood in Texas.

The Army plans to channel up to $2.2 billion in government funding across fiscal years 2027 through 2031. Combined with private capital from the selected companies, the program aims to build and operate more than 20 small reactors in total at facilities under the Ministry of National Defense.

The first reactor is expected to begin operation no later than Sept. 30, 2028. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last year directing the Army to have at least one Army-regulated reactor operating at a US military installation by September 2028.

The White House has set a goal of quadrupling US reactor capacity by 2050, and the Air Force separately announced in April that it would deploy reactors at three of its bases.

However, questions remain about whether the program can proceed as planned. The designs it relies on have yet to be commercialized, and some of the selected companies have no experience actually building reactors, leaving open the possibility of schedule delays or outright project failures.

Jeff Waxman, the Army's principal deputy assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, said no company yet has a complete small reactor design. "We know this is going to be very hard, and there is a real possibility that more than one company will fail," he said.

The micro reactors in question have a generating capacity of less than 20 MW — smaller than the small modular reactors, or SMRs, that typically produce up to 300 MW. Conventional nuclear power plants generate around 1 GW each.

The reactors are designed to supply power independently, even if a base is cut off from the regional power grid.

The Ministry of National Defense said the program also aims to boost energy self-sufficiency at military bases at a time when power grids are increasingly targeted by cyber and drone strikes.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com