Army’s nuclear comeback: Sweeping new program aims to break ‘tyranny of fuel’ at bases across the globe

The Army is launching a sweeping new nuclear project to generate power for bases across the globe particularly in remote or contested locations where fuel might be tough to obtain Fox News Digital has learned Hundreds of millions of dollars will be funneled into the campaign known as the Janus Project over the next five years according to Dr Jeff Waksman the Army official leading the effort to install next-generation commercial microreactors at military sites Great power conflict is defined by who can move their support around Waksman stated Strength demands are only set to increase as modern warfare trends toward drones directed-energy weapons and artificial intelligence And as war planners prepare for a promising battlefront in the Indo-Pacific with China our ability to move capacity around the oceans has never been more challenged he mentioned It is an immense challenge in terms of providing power Military bases right now are powered entirely by fossil fuels It is not workable with current innovation to provide power with solar wind and batteries Waksman announced So the only response to the tyranny of fuel that exists now is nuclear power TRUMP MUST TRIPLE SEVERELY OUTDATED NUKE ARSENAL TO OUTPACE CHINA AND RUSSIA OVERVIEW WARNSThe new plan follows an executive order President Donald Trump signed earlier this year directing the Department of War to begin operating an Army-regulated nuclear reactor at a U S military installation by September The initiative known as the Janus Undertaking will be led by the Department of the Army designated as the executive agent for the mission Waksman described Janus as a real hardware initiative aimed at delivering tangible capacity maximum rather than a approach concept There have been a lot of nuclear projects in the past that peaked at the press release he noted That is not what this is Under Janus the Army will partner with the Defense Innovation Unit and the Department of Force s national laboratories to oversee the design and testing of commercial microreactors The reactors will be commercially built and operated rather than owned by the military To encourage private venture the Army will use a milestone-based contracting model inspired by NASA s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services COTS venture the same framework that helped launch the commercial space industry by funding companies like SpaceX and Boeing to reach key technical milestones instead of paying for traditional cabinet procurement The Army hopes this flexible model will accelerate improvement lower costs and spur a self-sustaining region for small reactors that could eventually power both military and civilian infrastructure Construction of the first hardware is not expected before which Waksman called light speed for a nuclear undertaking Early work will focus heavily on materials science and supply chains which he disclosed remain major bottlenecks In order to provide components that are viable under the conditions of a nuclear reactor you need certified suppliers and there just aren t enough he explained One of our goals is to help consolidate and strengthen the industrial base so multiple companies can use the same qualified suppliers US COULD LOSE NEXT MAJOR WAR DUE TO PENTAGON'S 'BROKEN' ACQUISITION SYSTEMThe Army plans to work with multiple vendors each expected to build at least two reactors the first serving as a prototype and the second refined through lessons learned Beyond powering domestic installations agents say Janus will also help solve one of the the greater part pressing logistical challenges in a expected conflict with China moving strength across vast ocean distances Waksman cited Guam as an example an island where more than percent of electricity comes from imported oil delivered by foreign-flagged tankers traveling thousands of miles across contested sea lanes Having something that can provide power for years at a time without any resupply would be an absolute game-changer he revealed For now the reactors will remain stateside but Waksman reported the device is being developed with future expeditionary use and commercial spin-offs in mind The Army doesn t want to be the only buyer of these reactors he noted If we can get industry to the sixth or seventh unit where they can sell to commercial partners then we ve succeeded CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPNuclear microreactors are smaller factory-built power systems that use the same basic principles as traditional nuclear plants but at a fraction of the size Greater part produce between one and megawatts of electricity enough to power a small town or a military installation and can operate for years without refueling Unlike large commercial reactors which can take a decade to construct microreactors are designed for rapid deployment They can be shipped by truck or aircraft and installed on-site within weeks providing steady carbon-free power in places where fuel delivery is formidable or dangerous