The United States Navy is in the mix of using advanced nuclear energy power naval installations, selecting Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana to be the first base to use the technology.
The Department of Defense (DoD) said in its Wednesday press release the project will be completed in collaboration with the Army’s Janus program; the Office of the assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment; the Office of the under secretary of war for research and engineering; and the state of Indiana. The Navy plans to deploy the microreactor technology no later than September 2028 in alignment with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14299.
The modular microreactor deployment will be completed through the Janus program and in conjunction with several other military offices. The Office of the assistant secretary of war for critical technologies will lead the coordination amongst the Pentagon to complete the Crane project under the Janus program, according to the release.
“At Critical Technologies, we start from a simple first principle: a technology matters only when it reaches the mission,” Mike Dodd, assistant secretary of war for critical technologies, said in the release. “Our standard is to field and deploy capability within 24 months or less. President Trump’s executive order gave the department a clear mandate to move advanced nuclear power from promise to deployment.”
The Naval Weapons Station Crane, formerly known as Naval Support Activity Crane, serves as an innovation center focused on military weapons development, testing and storage. This installation is the third-largest naval installation in the world. The turn to advanced nuclear technology is part of a larger department-wide-effort to use nuclear energy for national security, the Pentagon said.
“Energy security is warfighting capability. Hosting the Navy’s first shore-based advanced microreactor at NWS Crane under the Janus Program underscores our commitment to hardening our shore infrastructure against evolving physical, cyber, and grid vulnerabilities,” Brendan Rogers, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, said in the release.
On Aug. 26, five nuclear companies were selected under the Janus program to deploy 20 microreactors across several Army installations in the United States.