FORT HOOD, Texas (KXXV) — The Army announced Tuesday that it has selected nine installations for consideration to host microreactor power plants as part of its Janus Program for next-generation nuclear energy.
The Defense Innovation Unit simultaneously released a request for commercial solutions for advanced nuclear power technologies, marking the next phase of the Army's effort to deploy secure and reliable energy sources at military installations.
The Army chose the following nine sites through comprehensive analysis and on-site assessments:
- Fort Benning
- Fort Bragg
- Fort Campbell
- Fort Drum
- Fort Hood
- Fort Wainwright
- Holston Army Ammunition Plant
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord
- Redstone Arsenal
The selection process evaluated mission-critical installations, energy requirements, power infrastructure and environmental considerations.
"These early site selections align with the Department of War's goal of accelerating the pace of deploying on-site nuclear generation at our installations," said Jordan Gillis, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.
Program Overview
The Janus Program aims to deliver secure energy to support national defense installations in accordance with Executive Order 14299, which focuses on deploying advanced nuclear reactor technologies for national security.
Working with the Defense Innovation Unit, the program will build commercial microreactors through milestone-based contracts to accelerate delivery of advanced energy solutions.
Microreactor power plants represent technological advances in safety, security and waste management, according to Army officials. The reactors are designed to be safe by design rather than relying on intervention protocols.
Implementation Timeline
The rollout will happen in stages as the Army validates lessons learned and ensures safe implementation. Projects will be self-contained and protected appropriately while complying with federal, state and local regulations.
The Army said it doesn't anticipate significant impact to installation land use.
"The Janus Program is taking its first step toward pairing specific nuclear reactor designs to specific U.S. Army installations," said Dr. Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment. "We will move to bending metal as quickly as possible."
Commercial Partnership
The Army executed a memorandum of agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit to use its Commercial Solutions Opening process to begin soliciting vendors for the program.
An Area of Interest notification was released to gather technical and operational information from industry regarding microreactor deployment on military installations.
"We've established a great partnership with the U.S. Army," said Dr. Andrew Higier, DIU energy portfolio director. "This collaboration will deliver advanced nuclear energy to Army installations, ensuring their most critical missions always have resilient and ready power."
Community Engagement
The Army emphasized its commitment to public safety and transparency with host communities surrounding the installations.
Officials said they recognize communities have vested interest in installation operations and are committed to providing transparent information throughout the planning process.
Specific timelines for each location will be announced in future updates as teams cooperate with military installations, residents and surrounding communities to keep stakeholders informed.
The final number and location of microreactors will be determined based on technical feasibility, site suitability and available resources.
