Fort Benning in Georgia is one of five U.S. Army installations chosen to host a new nuclear microreactor under the Army's Janus Program, an initiative aimed at giving military bases a power source independent of the civilian electric grid.
Radiant Industries will install and operate the microreactor at the base, which sits along the Chattahoochee Valley near Columbus. The Army says the small reactors are built to provide years of reliable power without refueling, keeping critical operations running if the regional grid goes down. Radiant's contract, worth up to $750 million, calls for a three unit installation at Fort Benning as part of a broader deployment of 15 factory built microreactors nationwide.
Maj. Gen. Colin P. Tuley, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, said the selection reflects the base's role within the Army. "The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning serve as an innovation center of gravity for the Army," Tuley said. "Our Garrison team is ready to expand its resilient, secure, and reliable energy footprint through the Janus Program."
The Army says any reactor built at Fort Benning will include passive safety features and will follow military rules that track civilian nuclear standards, though the unit will be licensed by the Army rather than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Fort Benning Garrison team said it plans to keep the surrounding Chattahoochee Valley community informed throughout planning and construction.
The Janus Program supports a 2025 executive order directing the Army to have an advanced reactor operating at a domestic installation no later than September 30, 2028. Four other bases, in North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, and New York, were selected for similar projects.
Source: WTVM - https://www.wtvm.com/2026/08/26/fort-benning-selected-army-nuclear-microreactor-program/