WASHINGTON — In a major step toward strengthening national defense and Army energy resilience, the U.S. Army announced today the conditional award of long-term leases to three companies to design, finance, build, and operate commercial power generation on Army installations.

By leveraging underutilized land on military installations, the Army is cooperating with industry leaders to establish power generation and energy resilience for its bases.

• Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey: Ameresco
• Fort Detrick, Maryland; Letterkenny Army Depot, Pennsylvania; and West Point, New York: Indelible-Bloom

• Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania: Frontier Power USA

“The ability to provide backup power to our installations is critical to ensuring mission success and resiliency for our installations,” said Dr. Jeff Waksman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “These awards are translating national energy priorities into action — promoting American energy dominance.”

The projects include a potential mix of battery energy storage, natural gas and nuclear electric generation capabilities. These market-based resources will provide capacity to the grid and ready, on-site capabilities to their host installations.

The announcement is part of the Army’s Strategic Capital Initiatives (SCI), a landmark effort to engage with the private sector to accelerate enterprise-wide modernization.

Formal lease agreements with these companies are in the initial stages. Development is slated to begin as early as 2027, with an Initial Operating Capability targeted by, or ahead, of 2030.

A Proven Model and Value Returned to the Army

These conditional awards are made possible through an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL), a statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 2667. An EUL is a real estate agreement that allows the Army to lease non-excess, underutilized land to private-sector partners.

Importantly, an EUL is a leasehold agreement, not a land sale; the United States retains title to the leased property at all times. Under this structure, the Army acts purely as a landlord. The private party lessees bear all costs to finance, design, build, operate, secure, and decommission the facility.

In return for the use of the land, the lessee pays rent at or above fair market value. The Army prefers to receive this rent as “in-kind” consideration. This means that instead of cash, the lessee directly funds and executes infrastructure improvements on the host installation. This directly benefits Soldiers, families, and operations by upgrading utilities, enhancing infrastructure, and modernizing mission capabilities. Finally, a mandatory decommissioning bond ensures that funds are secured well in advance to return the land to its original condition when the lease ends.

American Businesses

To mitigate supply chain risks and prevent undue foreign influence, eligibility for these projects was strictly limited to entities organized under U.S. law, featuring majority domestic ownership and control, and maintaining a U.S. place of business. Furthermore, any in-kind infrastructure improvements delivered to the Army will adhere to Davis-Bacon prevailing wages and Buy American Act requirements.

Environmental & Mission Compatibility First

The Army remains committed to smart stewardship of its real property and the surrounding communities. Offerors are required to engage state and local authorities, assess local impact, and propose comprehensive mitigation strategies.

No construction will begin until rigorous environmental and regulatory reviews — including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Air and Water Acts, and all required federal, state, and local permits — are fully complete. The selected parcels were specifically chosen to ensure compatibility with the ongoing missions of each host installation.

The conditional lease awards announced today follow other recent conditional EUL awards for a munitions facility at Pine Bluff Arsenal, and mineral processing facilities at multiple installations.

For more information, please visit the Army’s Strategic Capital Initiatives website.

Insights From Awardees:

“Ameresco is honored to be among the companies selected to support the U.S. Army’s Strategic Capital Initiatives and advance energy resilience across critical military installations. At Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, we look forward to deploying resilient, on-site energy infrastructure that strengthens mission readiness and enhances energy security. These projects represent a significant opportunity to advance both traditional firm power generation technologies and innovative nuclear solutions, helping establish a new generation of resilient, secure energy infrastructure for defense applications.”

— Nicole Bulgarino, Co-President of Ameresco

“Frontier Power USA (FPUSA) is honored to support the U.S. Army and its mission. We are proud to bring private capital and American innovation to Army installations, combining American-made battery energy storage with U.S.-compliant power generation to deliver resilient, mission-ready power at scale. We look forward to the opportunity to strengthen the Army’s energy security and America’s domestic industrial base.”

— Jay Bellows, CEO, FPUSA

“Indelible-Bloom is honored to support the legacy of service at Fort Detrick, Letterkenny Army Depot, and West Point, spanning medical advances, combat readiness, and generations of Army leadership. Dependable energy helps Soldiers and civilian personnel carry out their duties and sustains the communities their families call home. Our partnership with Bloom Energy draws on its experience providing reliable power to universities, research laboratories, hospitals, and other critical facilities. We are focused on bringing together the private investment and execution needed to turn the Army’s vision into lasting results.”

— Michael David White II, Chief Business Development Officer, Indelible-Bloom

Via US Army Public Affairs

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Army is announcing today that the Janus Program has selected five nuclear energy vendors, and five initial locations.

In partnership with the Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU), the Army is awarding up to a combined $2.2 billion to own, construct, and operate nuclear microreactors on military installations.  These vendors will deliver safe, secure, and reliable nuclear power, strengthening the Army’s ability to project power globally, while supporting the revitalization of American industrial capacity and technological leadership. With the private sector funding expected along with these government dollars, the Army expects more than 20 total nuclear microreactors will be built and operated across Department of War installations.

The five selected vendors and installations are as follows:

Antares Nuclear, Inc. – Fort Bragg, North Carolina

BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC – Fort Campbell, Kentucky

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems – Fort Hood, Texas

Radiant Industries, Inc. – Fort Benning, Georgia

Westinghouse Government Services – Fort Drum, New York

“Since launching the Janus Program, our mandate from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth has been clear: secure the power our warfighters need to train, deploy and win,” said Dan Driscoll, Secretary of the Army. “Awarding these contracts accelerates our ability to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations. We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids.”

“The Janus Program is grabbing the baton from Project Pele and the [Department of Energy’s] Reactor Pilot Program,” said Dr. Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “We are seeking not just reactors capable of turning on for a brief demonstration, but rather systems able to deliver power with high-capacity factors for years of operation. The Janus Program will be a complete success when and only when we have assisted multiple nuclear companies in developing truly reliable and affordable nuclear microreactors which they can sell to other buyers beyond just the military.”

After gathering technical and operational information from industry via an Area of Interest released by DIU, the Army down-selected potential industry awardees for negotiation of Other Transactions Authority-based agreements. A decision board and panel of top nuclear and technical experts from the Department of Energy, national laboratories and representatives across the services provided deeply rigorous input on the technical risks, financial situation, and management capabilities of the solutions. The close collaboration with technical experts and service representatives ensured selected vendors would provide solutions to enhance energy resilience for specific operational needs at military installations.

“When DOE created an authorization pathway for the demonstration of advanced reactor designs, we quickly began to realize how valuable these technologies could be for fortifying our national defense infrastructure,” said Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish. “We are honored to work in lockstep with the Army to leverage nuclear energy innovation in support of our country’s military operations at home and abroad.”

The alignment of these vendors with Army installations represents the culmination of a year-long effort to evaluate and prioritize installations based on a multitude of factors from energy needs to seismic and hydrological considerations, all with a primary focus on safety. As the Janus Program moves forward, it is intended that these vendors will also site nuclear technologies on other service installations for continued energy resilience across the entire DOW. Additional Army and other Service sites will be announced at a later date. The Army continues to drive towards the September 2028 target outlined in President Trump’s Executive Order 14299 for operation of a first reactor, regulated by the Army, on a military installation.

“The Army is leading the nation in its return to nuclear preeminence via the Janus Program,” said Jason Craft, Janus Program manager. “Our selected industry awardees represent the most viable technologies to achieve this capability, setting conditions for both installation energy resilience and operational energy solutions.”

Using a milestone-based payment model, vendors will receive government funding only after successfully hitting specific technical goals. This investment model brings together approximately $2.2 billion across FY2027-2031 along with significant capital investment from each vendor. This technology development model will speed up the delivery of next-generation energy solutions to the warfighter and promote innovation while ensuring accountability. The prototype reactors will be contractor-owned and operated.

“We need more power. We need it delivered faster and cheaper, and we need it to be more reliable,” said Owen West, director, DIU. “With Janus, DIU is assisting the Army’s micro reactor build — speeding military energy production to protect the nation.”

Collaboration with utility providers is essential to the success of Army’s nuclear power strategy and the Janus Program. The Army will work closely with serving utilities and privatized utility providers on the Janus Program to ensure the best possible outcomes. The Army also invites continued collaboration with utilities both now and in the future on utility-scale, grid-facing power generation opportunities sited on Army installations.

“The Army’s Janus Program has my full support, said Emil Michael, the War Department’s Chief Technology Officer. “The War Department is acting swiftly to implement President Trump’s Executive Order, Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, to deploy a nuclear reactor on a military installation by September 2028. We are unleashing America’s domestic nuclear industrial base to ensure a more resilient and secure energy supply for the joint force.”

Reliable energy underpins national defense. The down-selection to these five vendors represents a critical step forward in securing the operational readiness of our forces. The Army is committed to fortifying the defense and strength of the nation now and for future generations.

U.S. Army Communication and Outreach Office

Honeyville Utah – July 30th 2026 – BC Customs (BCC) in association with Raglan, has been selected for the U.S. Army Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) [W912CH-26-9-A061] to build prototypes for the Infantry Squad Vehicle-Heavy (ISV-H). The program has an approved Army Acquisition Objective of 606 platforms and is intended to provide critical operational capabilities, including exportable power to support tactical operations and onboard power to enable mission command while maneuvering.

Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal selected the BCC-Raglan team as one of the participants in the competitive, multi-phase Commercial Solutions Opening [W912CH-26-S-C005]. Under the solicitation, the Government anticipated the award of up to three OTA agreements and/or FAR-based contracts. As part of the agreement, BCC will manufacture and deliver three (3) ISV-H vehicles’ utilizing Raglan electronic control and export power systems for Government evaluation as the competition advances toward a potential follow-on production award.

“BC Customs was built around one simple idea: build vehicles that perform when the mission demands it. Our success has come from understanding the operator, investing in our capabilities, and never compromising on the quality of the vehicle we deliver. We look forward to working with Raglan to deliver the best vehicle solution possible to the Warfighter” said Brandon Johnson, CEO at BC Customs.