Fort Bragg, 4 other installations in pact for nuclear microreactors

Nuclear microreactors, expected to provide a reliable source of energy independent of a commercial electric grid, will be built at five military installations from Texas to the Atlantic Seaboard, including at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Five companies can be awarded up to $2.2 billion to own, construct and operate them if benchmarks are hit for performance, the Trump administration says. It is part of the Janus Program, and a collaboration between the Army and the Department of War Innovation Unit. Antares Nuclear Inc. is the chosen vendor for Fort Bragg in southeastern North Carolina. Also chosen were BWXT Advanced Technologies for Fort Campbell in Kentucky; General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems for Fort Hood in Texas; Radian Industries for Fort Benning in Georgia; and Westinghouse Government Services for Fort Drum in New York. The Army said the alignment of vendors "represents the culmination of a year-long effort to evaluate and prioritize installations based on a multitude of factors from energy needs to seismic and hydrological considerations, all with a primary focus on safety. As the Janus Program moves forward, it is intended that these vendors will also site nuclear technologies on other service installations for continued energy resilience across the entire DOW. Additional Army and other Service sites will be announced at a later date." Second-term Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order, No. 14299, that put a September 2028 target for operation of a first reactor regulated by the Army on a military installation. In a release, the Army said in part, "Reliable energy underpins national defense. The down selection to these five vendors represents a critical step forward in securing the operational readiness of our forces. The Army is committed to fortifying the defense and strength of the nation now and for future generations." Dan Driscoll, a first lieutenant during Army service time that ended in March 2011, has been secretary of the Army since February 2025. He said Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth were clear. "Secure the power our warfighters need to train, deploy and win," Driscoll said. "Awarding these contracts accelerates our ability to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations. We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids." The U.S. Army's Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base is generally known as the receiver of a president's 911 call. Meaning, if there's urgent defense or offense needed by the War Department, it'll likely be the Green Berets of the Special Operations Forces and or the 82nd Airborne at the tip of the spear. The 82nd provides the Global Response Force. U.S. Army Special Operations Command is headquartered on the base that is home to the 53,700 troops and 14,000 working civilians. Fort Bragg supports a population of 260,000 when including military families, contractors, retirees and others. It covers 284.5 miles across 172,000 acres, with 1,400 miles of paved roads and 23 miles of railroad.