Executive Order 14299 - Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security - was signed by President Donald Trump in May this year. It directs the Department of War to commence operation of an Army-regulated nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation no later than 30 September 2028. The Department of Army, designated by the Secretary of War as the Executive Agent for this mission, will lead the Janus Program on behalf of the Department of War.
The launch of the programme was announced on 14 October at an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting Warriors Corner panel, where Army leaders were joined by the US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to highlight this milestone initiative.
"The Janus Program will leverage the Army's nuclear regulatory authorities in close partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure the highest standards of safety, oversight, and transparency," US Army Public Affairs said.
The programme will build commercial microreactors through a "nimble, milestone-based contracting model" in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The reactors will be commercially owned and operated, with the milestone payments intended to help companies close their business cases as they seek "nth-of-a-kind" production. The Army and DIU will be modelling this contracting mechanism off NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services programme. The Army will provide technical oversight and assistance, including support to the full uranium fuel cycle and broader nuclear supply chain, ensuring the programme strengthens both defence and US industrial capabilities.
The Janus Program will build on lessons learned from Project Pele, a transportable nuclear reactor for electricity production. The DOE laboratory teams which partnered on the technical, legal, and policy aspects of Project Pele will also be working closely on the Janus Program.
"The US Army is leading the way on fielding innovative and disruptive technology," said Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. "We are shredding red tape and incubating next-generation capabilities in a variety of critical sectors, including nuclear power."
"Since the Manhattan Project, the Department of Energy and the Department of War have forged one of the defining partnerships in American history - advancing the science, engineering, and industrial capability that power our national security," Wright said. "What began as a wartime effort became the backbone of America's peacetime strength. Under President Trump's leadership, we're extending that legacy through initiatives like the Janus Program, accelerating next-generation reactor deployment and strengthening the nuclear foundations of American energy and defence."
In May 2024, the US Administration announced a programme to deploy advanced reactors to power multiple military sites in the USA. At the time, it said small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors could provide defence installations with energy that is resilient to challenges such as physical or cyberattacks, extreme weather, or pandemic biothreats that can disrupt commercial energy networks. The US Army was exploring the deployment of advanced reactors to help meet its energy needs and "will soon release a Request for Information to inform a deployment programme for advanced reactors to power multiple Army sites in the United States", the White House said.
The Army's effort - alongside two current defence reactor programmes, the Department of the Air Force microreactor pathfinder at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office Project Pele prototype transportable microreactor project - "will help inform the regulatory and supply chain pathways that will pave the path for additional deployments of advanced nuclear technology to provide clean, reliable energy for federal installations and other critical infrastructure", it said.