Washington: The US Navy will deploy its first shore-based advanced nuclear microreactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana by September 2028, providing the defence installation with continuous power independent of the commercial electricity grid.
The Micro Modular Reactor will also be the first power-producing nuclear reactor installed in Indiana, according to the Department of War.
The commercially owned and operated reactor is expected to sustain critical operations at the naval station during physical, cyber and electricity grid disruptions. NWS Crane is a major US defence technology, weapons research and manufacturing centre.
The project is being carried out by the Army’s Janus Program, the Navy and other Department of War offices in partnership with the state of Indiana.
“Under President Trump’s bold leadership, the Department of War is rapidly fielding next-generation energy solutions for our warfighters,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
“We are unleashing the American nuclear industrial base to ensure our military installations possess the resilient infrastructure required to maintain uninterrupted operations,” he said.
The deployment implements President Donald Trump’s executive orders on advanced nuclear reactor technologies and the nuclear industrial base. The orders direct the department to accelerate innovation, expand the domestic nuclear workforce and restore US nuclear leadership.
“Our standard is to field and deploy capability within 24 months or less,” said Mike Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies.
“President Trump’s Executive Order gave the Department a clear mandate to move advanced nuclear power from promise to deployment,” Dodd said.
“We turned that mandate into a focused sprint within our Contested Logistics Critical Technology Area to deliver this capability on time and on target, strengthen the American nuclear industrial base, and secure a decisive advantage for our warfighters.”
Brendan Rogers, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment, said the reactor would help protect the base from emerging threats.
“Energy security is warfighting capability. Hosting the Navy’s first shore-based advanced microreactor at NWS Crane under the Janus Program underscores our commitment to hardening our shore infrastructure against evolving physical, cyber, and grid vulnerabilities,” Rogers said.
The initiative follows more than a year of coordination between the department and Indiana officials. Senator Jim Banks helped advance the project, with support from Governor Mike Braun, Senator Todd Young and Representatives Erin Houchin and Mark Messmer.
The Crane installation is the first milestone in a broader department-wide effort to use advanced nuclear energy for national security. The programme is intended to provide military installations with reliable power while strengthening the domestic nuclear supply chain and rebuilding industrial capacity needed for national defence.
(IANS)
