WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Army’s Janus nuclear power program could support the military’s broader energy resilience goals under the Donald Trump administration’s “Fortress America” initiative, though officials said the effort will encompass multiple energy technologies.
“Fortress America” – which stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability – is a national defense initiative launched by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sept. 30. One of the main pillars mandated each major military installation generates power independently, without specifying what kind of power.
Army officials, in comments at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) annual conference here Tuesday, said the service is pursuing an all-of-the-above approach to installation energy, including nuclear power, natural gas, solar and battery storage, as it seeks to ensure reliable electricity for military operations.
“It’s not Janus in particular,” Principal Deputy Assistant Army Secretary for Installations, Energy and Environment Jeff Waksam said in response to a question by Exchange Monitor on the connection to Fortress America. “It’s really whatever energy that we can use.”
The comments suggest Janus will contribute to the broader effort to strengthen installations’ energy resilience, but nuclear power will be one component rather than the sole focus. “So it’ll be some nuclear, but also gas and solar batteries, whatever it is at each installation that’ll get us the power projection we need,” Waksam continued. “We’re focused on energy resiliency, however it can be.”
“We’re looking for all of the above,” Assistant Army Secretary of Installations, Energy and Environment Jordan Gillis concurred on the same panel. “Especially from the energy side.”
Under the Janus program, a joint effort between the Army and Department of Energy announced at last year’s AUSA conference, the Army is moving toward a commercially owned-and-operated model for nuclear power facilities, with private companies expected to lease land, build reactors and operate them under Army oversight.
Waksam and Gillis said the commercial model is intended to leverage private-sector capabilities while maintaining government control over safety and operations. The timing of Janus will also intersect with broader installation energy projects, and Gillis said current energy initiatives support Fortress America, while Janus facilities are expected to come online later, “a couple of years from now.”
Waksam said the Army is targeting September 2028 for electricity from the Janus program to reach an installation grid, describing the schedule as an unusually aggressive one.
“We believe it’s doable, but we have a lot of challenges,” Waksam said, citing resiliency and reliability as key concerns. The reactors will have to operate reliably enough to provide useful power, he said, while the program also faces potential budget challenges due to continuing resolutions and delays in appropriations.
The Army selected five companies to participate in Janus, with projects planned at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Fort Hood, Texas. Waksam said the program is structured around a flexible contracting model in which companies are paid based on performance and the Army can shift funding away from companies that fail to meet milestones.
The program is also intended to move beyond reactor designs that exist primarily on paper. Waksam said one of the five companies had achieved criticality at a laboratory by May, although he cautioned that this did not mean a complete reactor had been built or that electricity was being generated.
The next milestones are reaching full heat, followed by electricity generation at a laboratory in 2027, before moving toward deployment at an Army installation. Waksam said the Army expects to break ground on two of the five projects during fiscal 2027.
Gillis said energy resilience is now a requirement for mission readiness and that the Army can no longer assume power will be available when needed.
“We can’t take for granted that power is going to be there when we flip the light switch or when we plug in that mission-critical piece of equipment,” Gillis said.
