Army launches $2.2bn base microreactor push

On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Army announced contract awards totaling up to $2.2 billion to advance nuclear microreactor deployment on military bases. The contracts are part of the Army’s Janus Program, a major initiative to introduce small nuclear systems that can provide on-site power for Department of Defense installations. The move marks one of the largest single commitments by the Army to microreactor technology.

Army leaders framed the awards as a way to accelerate the delivery of safe, reliable baseload power directly to installations. By directing significant funding to multiple vendors at once, the service aims to move several microreactor designs toward real-world operation on geographically dispersed bases.

Under the Janus Program awards, five companies were selected, each linked to a specific Army installation. Antares Nuclear will work at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, while BWX Technologies (BWXT) is assigned to Fort Campbell in Kentucky. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems will pursue its project at Fort Hood in Texas.

Radiant Industries is slated to develop a microreactor at Fort Benning in Georgia, and Westinghouse Government Services will do so at Fort Drum in New York. This structure distributes projects across multiple regions and pairs each contractor with a distinct operational environment and mission profile.

The Pentagon expects the Janus Program to result in more than 20 nuclear microreactors being built and operated across Department of Defense installations. While the initial awards focus on five bases, the stated expectation signals a broader buildout over time as designs are developed, tested, and potentially replicated.

By targeting a fleet of more than 20 units, the program seeks to move beyond demonstration projects toward a network of microreactors capable of supporting a variety of military facilities. The effort is structured to give the Army multiple technology pathways while maintaining a common goal of resilient, on-installation power.

The Army’s push comes at a time when nuclear microreactors have not yet been integrated into the U.S. commercial electric grid. No such reactors are currently supplying power to civilian utilities, underscoring the early-stage nature of the technology’s deployment in the broader energy sector.

Against this backdrop, the Janus Program positions military installations as some of the first large-scale hosts for microreactors in the United States. The projects will therefore help define how the technology is designed, operated, and scaled in a real-world, mission-critical setting.