Army Picks Five Bases For Nuclear Microreactor Pilot Program
The U.S. Army announced on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, that it will add nuclear microreactors at five domestic bases under its Janus Program.[1]
Five companies will be eligible for up to $2.2 billion over five years to own, build and operate the microreactors if they meet project milestones.[1] The pilot sites are Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Drum in New York.[1] The Army said it expects the pilot to grow to more than 20 reactors in total.[1]
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14299, designating the Secretary of the Army as the Department of Defense executive agent for installation and operational nuclear energy and directing a reactor to operate at a domestic military installation by September 30, 2028. In October 2025 the Army launched the Janus Program and set a milestone-based contracting model with the Defense Innovation Unit to deploy commercially owned and operated microreactors at U.S. bases. Microreactor designs considered for Janus range from about 1 MW to 20 MW of electric output per unit.
Industry posts and local officials have already weighed in on the selections. Social accounts named Antares Nuclear, BWXT, General Atomics, Radiant Industries and Westinghouse as the companies eligible for awards, and Radiant highlighted a testing timeline tied to the Army's 2028 operational goal. Local leaders around Fort Drum praised the decision, and advocates note the program builds on prior DoD work such as Project Pele and Defense Innovation Unit site reviews.
The mainstream summary does not address the broader context of the U.S. nuclear energy landscape, particularly the significant policy shifts initiated by President Trump's executive orders in 2025. These reforms aimed to streamline Nuclear Regulatory Commission processes and set aggressive timelines for nuclear deployment, which are critical to understanding the urgency behind the Janus Program. According to analyses, these changes are part of a larger strategy to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050, reflecting a renewed commitment to nuclear energy that the summary overlooks. This context is essential as it frames the Janus Program not merely as a pilot initiative but as a pivotal step in a much larger national energy strategy aimed at enhancing military resilience and reducing reliance on vulnerable civilian power grids.
Additionally, while the summary highlights the selected bases and companies involved, it downplays the Army's rationale for this program. Officials have indicated that the increasing power demands from advanced technologies, such as AI, and the vulnerabilities of existing energy infrastructures necessitate a shift towards reliable nuclear power. This perspective illustrates the Janus Program as a response to specific operational needs rather than just a technological experiment, a nuance that is absent from the mainstream account. The emphasis on operational timelines and the integration of military energy strategies into national policy underscores the complexity of this initiative beyond its immediate technical objectives.[2][3]
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📊 Relevant Data
Microreactors selected for the Janus Program have electric outputs ranging from 1 MW to 20 MW per unit depending on the design.
Army to build microreactors at 5 bases as U.S. seeks to ramp up nuclear power — PBS NewsHour / AP
The United States has 94 operable commercial nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 96,952 MWe as of July 2026.
Nuclear Power in the USA — World Nuclear Association
📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the U.S. Army announced plans to add nuclear microreactors at five U.S. bases under its Janus Program.
- Five companies will be eligible for up to $2.2 billion over five years to own, build and operate the microreactors if they meet project milestones.
- The selected sites are Fort Bragg (NC), Fort Campbell (KY), Fort Hood (TX), Fort Benning (GA) and Fort Drum (NY), with the Army expecting more than 20 reactors in total.
- President Trump’s May 2025 executive orders required an advanced reactor to be operating at a domestic military installation no later than September 30, 2028.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time