US Army Awards $2.2B to Five Firms for Base

The US Army has selected five companies to build nuclear microreactors at domestic installations under contracts worth up to $2.2 billion combined. The service announced the awards on Wednesday in collaboration with the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, marking a major step in its Janus program to provide independent power for bases.

Antares Nuclear will develop a microreactor at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. BWXT Advanced Technologies is assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems will work at Fort Hood, Texas. Radiant Industries is tied to Fort Benning, Georgia. Westinghouse Government Services will develop a reactor at Fort Drum, New York. The Army expects to eventually field more than 20 microreactors across Department of Defense installations.

Program Goals and Structure

The Janus program, introduced in 2025 following an executive order, aims to have an operational reactor at a military base by September 30, 2028. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll stated the contracts accelerate the delivery of safe, reliable baseload power directly to installations. He emphasized building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids.

The reactors will be contractor-owned and operated. Vendors will only be paid if they hit technical milestones. Officials clarified at a Wednesday briefing that each installation will remain on the commercial power grid; the reactors are not intended to power a base completely.

Security and Fuel Rationale

Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, explained the push toward nuclear energy. He cited growing awareness of security risks and reliance on fossil fuel. "Unlike in prior conflicts, we now know that our domestic electric grid is potentially at risk in a conflict," Waksman said during the briefing. He noted all critical Army infrastructure is currently backed up by liquid fossil fuel, primarily diesel.

The threat extends overseas. "In a lot of our Pacific islands, we're dependent on foreign-shipped fuel from foreign-flagged vessels, and that doesn't give us a lot of comfort if there were to be a future conflict," he continued. Waksman also stated that none of the planned reactors will use highly enriched, or weapon's grade, uranium. Nuclear waste will not be stored on bases long-term.

Base Selection and Project Details

Installations were chosen based on a multilayered analysis including mission-set, power grid feasibility, environmental concerns, and safety. Brandon Cockrell, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Energy & Sustainability, noted the bases' role in deploying troops. "It's really difficult to look across the five and not draw the immediate conclusion that this is a direct link to power projection," he said.

The Janus program follows the Pentagon's 2022 "Project Pele," which sought a portable 40-ton reactor generating one to five megawatts. The Army did not disclose individual contract amounts, but some companies released details.

Radiant Industries disclosed a $750 million agreement for fifteen 1-megawatt Kaleidos microreactors, which are undergoing testing. General Atomics announced its Tactical Energy System (GA-TES) has a baseline output of 5 megawatts and can scale to 20.

The effort proceeds as the U.S. is at war with Iran, a conflict that has driven up global energy costs. The Army is also pursuing energy resilience in other areas, pitting three contractors against each other to build a light tactical vehicle capable of powering counter-drone systems and directed energy weapons.