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Army Picks Five Companies to Install Nuclear Microreactors at Five Bases

Janus aims to secure critical base power by using milestone-based funding of up to $2.2 billion to accelerate private reactor deployment.

FILE - A sign at Fort Bragg, N.C., is seen, Jan. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
Nate Jandra, a lead technician at Antares, welds a component for the company’s power conversion system in Torrance, California, on Aug. 25, 2026. The Army selected Antares to deploy its R1 microreactors at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, under the Janus Program. Courtesy: Antares
Fort Hood, briefly called Fort Cavazos, is one of five Army bases chosen Aug. 26 to get a microreactor. (Bronte Wittpenn/Austin American-Statesman/TNS)
FILE - U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll speaks at the America 250 celebration at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)

Overview

  • The Army announced on Aug. 26, 2026 that it selected Antares, BWX, General Atomics, Radiant and Westinghouse and paired each firm with a specific base for the Janus microreactor program.
  • The Defense Innovation Unit and Army will provide up to $2.2 billion in milestone-based payments from fiscal 2027–2031 that vendors earn only after meeting technical goals.
  • The service expects more than 20 contractor-owned microreactors across Department of Defense sites and is aiming to have the first unit operating at a domestic installation by Sept. 30, 2028.
  • The Army will license the reactors on its installations rather than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is negotiating an as-yet unsigned agreement with the Department of Energy to remove radioactive waste and avoid long-term on-base storage.
  • Critics warn the effort could be costly and risky, while officials stress design safety, contractor responsibility for operations and that reactors will provide resilient power for critical systems rather than full base loads.