Pentagon plans to install nuclear micro modular reactor at naval facility by September 2028

An artist rendering of the design of a prototype small modular nuclear reactor, certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2023. (Department of Energy/NRC)

The US Department of Defense (DOD) intends to install the first commercially owned and operated advanced nuclear micro modular reactor (MMR) at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Crane in Indiana no later than September 2028, the Pentagon confirmed in a 9 September public statement.

The overall project is being executed jointly by the Army's Project Janus programme, 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 (OUSW(R&E)), and the state of Indiana, the Pentagon said.

The project marks the first step in a larger, unified DOD-wide effort to deploy safe and secure nuclear power for national security, the Pentagon said.

“The MMR installation will provide reliable, around-the-clock power independent of the commercial electric grid, capable of sustaining critical operations under the most demanding conditions,” the Pentagon said.

The MMR installation is being executed coordination with the Department of the Navy, the Pentagon Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies (OASW(CT)), the Pentagon noted.

The army is the DOD's executive agent for installation nuclear energy, while the navy controls operations at NWS Crane and the DIU provides access to commercial innovation, the Pentagon said.

OASW(CT) will be responsible for coordinating stakeholders and integrating the project under Project Janus, the Pentagon said.