Five U.S. military installations will soon host a new generation of American nuclear power, as the Army moves forward with an ambitious program to break free from vulnerable civilian power grids and secure energy independence for the nation’s warfighters.
The Army announced Wednesday that its Janus Program has awarded $2.2 billion in combined contracts to five nuclear energy companies. These firms will own, build, and operate nuclear microreactors at bases spread across North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, and New York.
The program represents a dramatic shift in how the military powers its domestic operations. For decades, U.S. bases have relied on aging civilian infrastructure that military planners increasingly view as a strategic liability. These compact reactors offer something the current system cannot: reliable electricity without dependence on outside sources or the need for constant refueling.
President Donald Trump set the wheels in motion with an executive order directing the Army to have the first Army-regulated reactor operating on a military installation by September 2028. That timeline is aggressive, but the administration appears committed to meeting it.
The scope of the program extends well beyond the initial five sites. With support from expected private-sector investment, the Army said it plans to build and operate more than 20 nuclear microreactors across Department of War installations. The buildout would mark the largest expansion of nuclear power on military property in American history.
The selection of bases spanning from the Southeast to New York suggests the Army is thinking strategically about geographic distribution. Having nuclear capacity at installations across multiple regions provides redundancy and resilience that a more concentrated approach would lack.
The $2.2 billion price tag is substantial, but supporters of the program argue that energy independence for military installations is worth the investment. In an era of increasing great power competition, the ability to operate independently of civilian infrastructure could prove invaluable.
The five companies selected for the awards were not named in the announcement, but all will be responsible for the full lifecycle of their respective reactors, from construction through operation.
