The military launches a nuclear program to supply power bases around the world

the army Fox News Digital is launching a comprehensive new nuclear program to generate power for its bases around the world, especially in remote or contested locations where fuel may be difficult to obtain, Fox News Digital has learned.

“Hundreds of millions” of dollars will be funneled into the program known as Project Janus over the next five years, according to Dr. Jeff Waxman, the Army official leading the effort, to install the next generation of small, commercial reactors at military sites.

“Great power conflict is determined by who can move whose resources,” Waxman said. Power requirements are expected to increase as modern warfare trends toward drones, directed energy weapons, and artificial intelligence. As war planners prepare for a possible battle front in the Indo-Pacific region China“Our ability to move energy around the oceans has never been more challenging,” he said.

“It’s a huge challenge in terms of providing power 24/7,” Waxman said. “Military bases right now run entirely on fossil fuels. It’s not possible with current technology to provide power 24/7 using solar, wind and batteries.” “So the only solution to the fuel tyranny that exists now is nuclear energy.”

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The new plan follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year directing the War Department to begin operating a military-regulated nuclear reactor at a U.S. military facility by September 2028.

This initiative – known as the Janus Program – will be led by the Department of the Army, designated as the mission’s executive agent. Waxman described Janus as a “real hardware program” aimed at providing tangible power capability rather than a policy concept. “There have been a lot of nuclear projects in the past that culminated in the press release,” he said. “This is not what it is.”

Under Janus’ leadership, the Army will collaborate with the Department of Energy’s Defense Innovation Unit and National Laboratories to oversee the design and testing of commercial small reactors. The reactors will be built and operated commercially, rather than being owned by the military. To encourage private investment, the Army will use a landmark-based contracting model inspired by NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) – the same framework that helped launch the commercial space industry by funding companies like SpaceX and Boeing to reach key technical milestones rather than paying for traditional government procurement costs.

The Army hopes this flexible model will speed development, lower costs, and stimulate a self-sustaining market for small reactors that can eventually power military and civilian infrastructure.

The first device is not expected to be built before 2027, which Waxman called the “speed of light” for a nuclear program. Early work will focus largely on materials science and supply chains, which he said still represent significant bottlenecks.

“In order to provide components that are workable under nuclear reactor conditions, you need certified suppliers – but there are not enough,” he said. “One of our goals is to help consolidate and strengthen the industrial base so that more companies can use the same qualified suppliers.”

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The Army plans to work with several vendors, each of which is expected to build at least two reactors — the first operating as a prototype and the second being improved through lessons learned.

In addition to supplying power to local facilities, officials say the Janus project will also help solve one of the most pressing logistical challenges in a potential conflict with China: transporting energy across vast distances in the ocean. Waxman cited Guam as an example — an island where more than 90% of its electricity comes from imported oil transported by foreign-flagged tankers that travel thousands of miles through disputed sea lanes.

“Having something that can provide power for years on end without any resupply would be an absolute game-changer,” he said.

For now, the reactors will remain in the United States, but Waxman said the technology is being developed with future exploratory use and commercial benefits in mind.

He said: “The army does not want to be the sole buyer of these reactors.” “If we can move the industry to unit six or seven, where they can sell to business partners, we have succeeded.”

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Micronuclear reactors are smaller power systems manufactured in factories and use the same basic principles as conventional nuclear plants but at a fraction of the size. Most produce between one and 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a small city or military facility, and can operate for years without refueling.

Unlike large commercial reactors, which can take a decade to build, microreactors are designed for rapid deployment. They can be shipped by truck or plane and installed on site within weeks, providing stable, carbon-free power in places where fuel delivery is difficult or dangerous.