The Department of War has teamed up with the Department of Energy to advance one of President Donald Trump‘s core missions, which is to unleash American energy dominance. In a historic effort to produce stability in a demanding energy environment, Trump is removing all roadblocks that have strangled ingenuity within the nuclear power community. Sunday, Feb. 17, 2026, the War Department transported a next-generation nuclear micro-reactor aboard a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from March Air Force base in California to Hill Air Force base located in Utah.
The transport comes after major executive orders were signed by Trump to further advance the nuclear initiative and to release the choked potential of nuclear energy. In the past, nuclear energy has been severely criticized by politicians of the Democratic Party and stagnated by overregulation coupled with policies directed at hindering the progress of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is by far the most reliable form of electricity available, and the Left has been attacking and shutting down major nuclear plants.
The Obama administration shut down several reactors from closing due to “economic pressures”, including San Onofre 2 and 3 in California, Crystal River 3 in Florida, Vermont Yankee, Kewaunee in Wisconsin, and Fort Calhoun in Nebraska. Despite closures such as Indian Point 3 in New York in 2021 and Palisades in Michigan in 2022, the administration has utilized the Civil Nuclear Credit program to keep plants such as Diablo Canyon in California operational and actively support the restart of others, such as Palisades. We have to give Biden credit. While he shut down a couple of plants, he restarted the use of two major plants as well.
The contradiction is baffling. Despite efforts to squash U.S. nuclear interests, Trump has had a significant impact on advancing nuclear innovation. The new microreactor is just a bit bigger than a minivan, and can produce a large amount of energy.
Advancements such as the Ward 250, which is a 5-megawatt mobile micro-nuclear reactor designed by Valar Atomics for rapid deployment to remote sites and military bases. It utilizes TRISO fuel and helium cooling to provide reliable, independent power for approximately 5,000 homes. Following the first-ever air transport of a nuclear reactor by the U.S. military in February 2026, it is scheduled for testing in Utah with a target operational date of July 4, 2026.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey were on the C-17 flight with the reactor and its components, and hailed the event as a breakthrough for U.S. nuclear energy and military logistics. “This gets us closer to deploy nuclear power when and where it is needed to give our nation’s warfighters the tools to win in battle,” Duffey said. With the use geared toward military deployment at the moment, there is no question that this marks a historic shift going forward as engineers look to capitalize on and build off of this achievement.
Nuclear energy is no longer an option. It is a necessity in an era of unprecedented energy demand. Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez calls nuclear power a “renaissance.” He continued saying in reference to Microsoft and Constellation Energy are teaming up to restart the long-dormant Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania:
“We’re getting interest in new builds all over the spectrum.”
“So, large units like this one, smaller modular reactors that we’ve talked to the president about, but I’ve never seen anything like the renaissance that is going on.”
“Whether it’s a red state, blue state, everybody’s talking about nuclear energy. Everybody wants to build the next generation,” he added.
AI’S ENERGY DEMANDS ARE FUELING A NUCLEAR COMEBACK
The Trump administration is starting to turn the long-promised “nuclear renaissance” into measurable progress. The shipment of a microreactor and the planned returns of the Palisades and Three Mile Island plants are more than symbolic milestones — they’re signs that nuclear is moving from rhetoric to reality.
And by treating 92% reliability as a governing standard rather than a slogan, the administration is putting grid performance ahead of political optics — strengthening the system that American industry, households, and technological innovation all depend on.
