The US Department of the Air Force has chosen Radiant Industries Inc., Antares Nuclear Inc., and Westinghouse Electric Co. to develop and operate nuclear microreactors at military installations in Colorado, Texas, and Montana. This move is part of the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program, a joint effort by the Defense Innovation Unit, the Air Force, and the Army. Radiant expects to deliver the first systems by 2028, with Antares following by 2029. This initiative is a response to growing electricity demand and aims to make military bases energy-independent, reducing their vulnerability to cyberattacks, extreme weather, and the escalating demands of AI-driven energy consumption. The Pentagon has committed $125 million in congressional funding for this program.
The ANPI program, which narrowed down its selection from an initial pool of eight companies, is specifically targeting Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, for the first deployments. These bases are considered critical due to their roles in satellite ground operations and intercontinental ballistic missile oversight, respectively, where uninterrupted power is essential. The goal is to have operational microreactors at these sites by 2030. These microreactors, typically producing between one and 20 megawatts of electrical power, are designed to power a military base or a small data center and can operate for 15 years or longer without refueling.
The broader policy push, supported by Executive Order 14299 and the ADVANCE Act, links nuclear power to AI infrastructure at military installations and streamlines NRC licensing for advanced reactors. The Department of Defense, as the largest energy consumer in the US government, uses over 30 terawatt-hours of electricity annually across more than 500 installations, with the majority currently sourced from the civilian grid. This dependence is now viewed as a strategic vulnerability, especially given a 70% increase in cyberattacks on US energy infrastructure and the projected surge in data center electricity consumption globally.
In a parallel effort, the Army's Project Janus program is evaluating nine additional bases for microreactor deployment. These include Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Drum, Fort Hood, Fort Wainwright, Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Redstone Arsenal. The Army aims for commercially owned and operated microreactors, with a target of operating an Army-regulated nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation by September 30, 2028. The Defense Innovation Unit has budgeted hundreds of millions of dollars for the Janus Program in FY 2027 and potentially over $2 billion over the next five years to support the development and mass production of these reactors.
