The US Army has awarded $2.2bn in contracts to five companies to build and operate nuclear microreactors at military bases nationwide, as part of the Trump administration's effort to revitalize America's nuclear energy sector.

The Janus Program, launched under an executive order signed by President Trump in May 2025, requires the deployment of an advanced microreactor at a US military facility by September 30 2028. Microreactors are small, factory-built nuclear fission systems designed to fit in shipping containers and generate one to 20 megawatts of electricity—enough to power up to 20,000 homes.

The selected vendors include Antares Nuclear at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; BWXT Advanced Technologies at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood, Texas; Radiant at Fort Benning, Georgia; and Westinghouse Government Services at Fort Drum, New York. The Department of Defense's Innovation Unit will provide technical and logistical support.

"Awarding these contracts accelerates our ability to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations," said Dan Driscoll, secretary of the army. "We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids."

The initiative addresses a strategic gap, as the only currently operating small modular reactors are in Russia and China, challenging Washington's historical leadership in nuclear technology.