Army launches nuclear program to power bases around the world

THE Army is launching a large new nuclear program to generate electricity for bases around the world, particularly in remote or contested locations where the fuel might be difficult to obtain, Fox News Digital has learned.

“Hundreds of millions” of dollars will be pumped into the program known as Project Janus over the next five years, according to Dr. Jeff Waksman, the Army official leading the effort, to install next-generation commercial microreactors at military sites.

“Conflicts between great powers are defined by who can move their resources,” Waksman said. Energy demand will only increase as modern warfare moves toward drones, directed energy weapons, and artificial intelligence. And as war planners prepare for a potential battlefront in the Indo-Pacific with China“Our ability to move energy around the oceans has never been more challenged,” he said.

“It’s a huge challenge in terms of providing power 24/7. Military bases are currently powered entirely by fossil fuels. It’s not possible with current technology to provide power 24/7 with solar, wind and batteries,” Waksman said. “The only solution to the tyranny of fuel that currently exists is nuclear energy.”

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Micronuclear reactors are smaller, factory-built power systems that use the same basic principles as traditional nuclear power plants, but are much smaller in size. (Pallava Bagla/Corbis via Getty Images)

The new plan follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year directing the War Department to begin operating a military-regulated nuclear reactor at a U.S. military installation by September 2028.

The initiative – known as the Janus Program – will be led by the Department of the Army, designated as the mission executive agent. Waksman described Janus as a “real hardware program” aimed at providing tangible energy capability rather than a political concept. “There have been a lot of nuclear projects in the past that culminated in a press release,” he said. “That’s not what it is.”

Under Janus, the Army will partner with the Department of Energy’s Defense Innovation Unit and National Laboratories to oversee the design and testing of commercial microreactors. The reactors will be built and operated commercially, rather than owned by the military. To encourage private investment, the military will use a milestone-based contracting model inspired by NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program – the same framework that helped launch the commercial space industry by funding companies like SpaceX and Boeing to achieve key technical milestones instead of paying for traditional government procurement.

The military hopes this flexible model will speed development, reduce costs and spur a self-sustaining market for small reactors that could ultimately power military and civilian infrastructure.

Construction of the first hardware is not expected until 2027, which Waksman called the “speed of light” for a nuclear program. Early work will focus largely on materials science and supply chains, which he says remain major bottlenecks.

“In order to provide viable components under nuclear reactor conditions, you need certified suppliers – and there simply aren’t enough of them,” he said. “One of our goals is to help consolidate and strengthen the industrial base so that multiple companies can use the same qualified suppliers.”

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Nuclear microreactors will begin powering national military bases in 2028. (Reuters)

The Army plans to work with multiple vendors, each expected to build at least two reactors – the first serving as a prototype and the second refined using lessons learned.

Beyond powering domestic facilities, officials say Janus will also help solve one of the most pressing logistical challenges in a potential conflict with China: transporting energy across vast ocean distances. Waksman cited Guam as an example — an island where more than 90 percent of electricity comes from imported oil delivered by foreign-flagged tankers traveling thousands of miles through contested sea lanes.

“Having something that can provide electricity for years without any resupply would be absolutely a game changer,” he said.

For now, the reactors will remain in the United States, but Waksman said the technology is being developed with future expeditionary use and commercial spinoffs in mind.

“The military doesn’t want to be the sole buyer of these reactors,” he said. “If we can get the industry up to the sixth or seventh unit, where they can sell to commercial partners, then we have succeeded.”

The military’s energy needs are only expected to increase in the age of drones, AI, and directed energy warfare. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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Micronuclear reactors are smaller, factory-built power systems that use the same basic principles as traditional nuclear power plants, but are much smaller in size. Most produce between one and 20 megawatts of electricity – enough to power a small town or military installation – and can operate for years without refueling.

Unlike large commercial reactors, which can take a decade to build, microreactors are designed for rapid deployment. They can be shipped by truck or plane and installed on site within weeks, providing stable, carbon-free energy in locations where fuel delivery is difficult or dangerous.