The Army is embarking on an ambitious effort to diversify energy sources at military bases across the world and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The Janus program, led by Dr. Jeff Waksman, lies at the heart of the War Department’s plan to develop and install nuclear microreactors on U.S. military bases by 2028. The program’s emphasis on nuclear sourcing responds to growing concerns that military installations solely reliant on fossil fuels for power are vulnerable to outages due to modern warfare’s sweeping energy demands.
“If you look at where modern warfare is going, in terms of drones and energy weapons, there is an increasing amount of electricity and energy that is being used at the same time,” Waksman said. “Right now, all energy reliability on military installations is done with fossil fuels. It is not possible with current technology to provide 24/7 power with solar, wind, and batteries.”
The Janus program was unveiled on Tuesday during the Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Waksman revealed the military plans to request “hundreds of millions of dollars” over the next five years to develop the first reactors.
He framed the program in terms of boosting U.S. military capability in the face of possible war, according to Fox News.
“Great power conflict is defined by who can move their resources around,” Waksman said. As war planners prepare for a possible battlefront in the Indo-Pacific with China, “our ability to move energy around the oceans has never been more challenged.”
“It is an immense challenge in terms of providing 24/7 power. Military bases right now are powered entirely by fossil fuels. It is not possible with current technology to provide 24/7 power with solar, wind, and batteries,” Waksman continued. “So the only solution to the tyranny of fuel that exists now is nuclear power.”
A microreactor is a small nuclear reactor that can operate independently from the electric grid. The small reactors are designed to be portable in nature, with many that could be pulled by a semi-tractor-trailer.
Microreactors differ from conventional nuclear reactors, which have significantly higher power capacities, according to the Idaho National Laboratory. One microreactor can produce up to 50 megawatts of energy, compared to small modular reactors, or SMRS, which range from 50 to 300 megawatts.
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The military is increasingly eyeing microreactors as a backup source, as they can go years without having to be refueled, meaning bases could keep running even if the civilian grid goes down. Due to their portable nature, they are also viewed as ideal for carrying power to bases across the globe in remote regions or areas where fuel is difficult to obtain.
The Janus program comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year ordering the Department of War to operate a small nuclear reactor on a domestic base by 2028.
