An artistic rendering depicts what General Atomics plans to provide the Army under the Janus Program. (Photo/GA)
By Troy Turner
The U.S. Army this week announced the first five sites and commercial vendors for its plan to use onsite nuclear energy production, known as the Janus Program, to assure a dependable power supply is available for critical services and to provide an alternative source beyond commercial grids.
Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal missed the first cut, but remains a high-potential future site as the Army looks to eventually have more than 20 microreactors located at key military installations.
Nearby Fort Benning, Georgia, however, did make the first-five list. The sites and vendors chosen include:
- Antares Nuclear, Inc. – Fort Bragg, North Carolina
- BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC – Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems – Fort Hood, Texas
- Radiant Industries, Inc. – Fort Benning, Georgia
- Westinghouse Government Services – Fort Drum, New York
“We need more power. We need it delivered faster and cheaper, and we need it to be more reliable,” said Owen West, director, Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU), in an Army release. “With Janus, DIU is assisting the Army’s microreactor build, speeding military energy production to protect the nation.”
ALABAMA’S PITCH
Alabama’s entire delegation joined forces in a bipartisan letter sent last November to Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll with a pitch for Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville to host the next-generation nuclear power Janus Program.
Redstone Arsenal’s growing demand for electrical power will continue to increase at a significant pace while serving as home to numerous government and military entities, the letter said, including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, FBI-Huntsville, the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, and soon the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.
The advent of directed-energy weapons using lasers and microwave technology, along with artificial intelligence, quantum computing, quieter electric vehicles, enhanced sensor technology and comprehensive command-and-control units almost all have a heavy reliance on electrical power, which has become a hot commodity for the military in competition with commercial and residential demands.
Speaking last May at the National Space Club breakfast, Redstone Garrison Commander Col. Erin Eike said power infrastructure now sits at the center of nearly every discussion about the installation’s future growth.
“When discussing the future of Redstone Arsenal, the conversation must begin with power infrastructure,” she said. “Without power, none of the advanced technology, research or future initiatives we envision can move forward.”
The Army, in response, is looking at the Janus Program as an avenue to provide solutions.
SELECTING THE FIRST FIVE
The alignment of the first five chosen vendors with Army installations represents the culmination of a year-long effort to evaluate and prioritize installations based on a multitude of factors ranging from energy needs to seismic and hydrological considerations, all with a primary focus on safety, the Army release said.
“As the Janus Program moves forward, it is intended that these vendors will also site nuclear technologies on other service installations for continued energy resilience across the entire DoW,” it said.
Fort Drum (Army)
Additional service sites will be announced at a later date.
“The Army is leading the nation in its return to nuclear pre-eminence via the Janus program,” said Jason Craft, Janus Program manager, in the Army’s release. “Our selected industry awardees represent the most viable technologies to achieve this capability, setting conditions for both installation energy resilience and operational energy solutions.”
Using a milestone-based payment model, vendors will receive government funding only after successfully hitting specific technical goals.
The investment model brings together approximately $2.2 billion across FY2027-2031 along with significant capital investment from each vendor, the Army said. “The technology development model will speed up the delivery of next-generation energy solutions to the warfighter and promote innovation while ensuring accountability. The prototype reactors will be contractor-owned and operated.”
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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