In May 2021, cybercriminals shut down the Colonial Pipeline, halting fuel supplies across the southeastern United States and causing widespread shortages. The incident revealed how a single cyberattack can ripple through the economy, and how dependent our defense and civilian sectors are on fragile energy networks.
Attacks like this highlight the urgent need for stronger cyber defenses and remind us that energy underpins every aspect of national security. If a conflict with an adversary, such as China or Russia, were to occur, we cannot be certain that we will have reliable energy from the existing electrical grid.
The strength of the American armed forces — and of our economy — depends on reliable energy. Yet our most critical infrastructure remains dangerously vulnerable to cyberattacks and fuel supply disruptions.
Electricity demand on the battlefield is growing rapidly to power unmanned platforms, directed energy weapons, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and other power-intensive systems. Meeting this demand will be difficult in the Indo-Pacific, the Arctic and other strategic regions.
Since 2018, annual defense policy bills have required the Pentagon to pursue energy security and publish installation energy plans to ensure military services and facilities can maintain reliable power amid growing demand.
A promising solution is on the horizon. The deployment of advanced nuclear energy for our nation’s critical defense and civilian infrastructure would provide resilience against a cyberattack on our grid. It can also help the Pentagon reduce logistical burdens.
Several companies, including ours, are on track to deliver nuclear fission micro-reactors capable of supplying compact, resilient power to our nation’s military bases, operational assets and other networks vital for public health and our economic well-being.
Modern nuclear systems use advanced fuels — tiny particles that each serve as mini containment vessels, preventing the release of fission products even under extreme conditions.
These reactors are also passively safe. If the reactor temperature begins to rise unexpectedly, the physics of the system causes the nuclear reactions to slow down and maintain safety with no human or mechanical intervention needed. If power is lost, automatic control drums and shutdown rods stop the nuclear reactions instantly.
Even in a total cooling loss, the temperature of these advanced reactors stays well within safety limits, protecting people and the environment.
Recognizing their potential, President Trump issued new executive orders in May, and now federal agencies — including the Defense and Energy Departments and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — are working together to accelerate broader use of these cutting-edge, safe reactor designs by the military and commercial actors alike.
On the margins of last month’s Association of the United States Army Conference, the secretary of the Army and secretary of Energy announced Project Janus, a program designed to deliver resilient, secure, and assured energy to support national defense installations and critical missions by 2028.
To succeed, the U.S. must reestablish its uranium enrichment supply chain and build more infrastructure for reactor testing. We must also grow the training pipeline for nuclear experts and engineers.
But with continued partnership across the private and public sector, these obstacles are surmountable, and we can strengthen our nation by quadrupling America’s nuclear capacity by 2050.
Dense, clean nuclear energy can provide power for a host of military use cases including early warning radars, missile defense systems, high-powered optics, directed energy and advanced manufacturing, including assets in remote and austere locations.
Power at our military installations today typically consists of large amounts of fossil fuel, usually diesel, stockpiled in tanks on or near the base.
Deploying nuclear power means our joint force would no longer need to transport diesel fuel to installations across the continental United States or to bases in Alaska and the Pacific.
Advanced nuclear reactors can help solve what U.S. military planners call “contested logistics” — the challenges and disruptions an adversary poses to military supply chains.
Our adversaries are likely to test our resilience with cyber-attacks on our critical infrastructure again. China and Russia are investing in advanced energy technologies as part of their military modernization strategies. Our military needs to maintain its edge in remote, distributed locations throughout the Pacific islands and on the northern slope of Alaska.
If conflict were to break out, the forces with assured access to electricity in all contested domains will prevail. Without power, military units sit still, silent, blind and defenseless.
But if the enemy can no longer disrupt or interfere with our nation’s ability to power the facilities that underpin our military readiness and economic vitality — and if we can energize our assets in remote, austere locations — we can deter attacks and make ourselves safer.
Deploying reliable nuclear energy is a sound, strategic move. If we act decisively, advanced nuclear power will secure America’s energy future, strengthen our military and ensure that no adversary can ever hold our power supply hostage again.
Jordan Bramble is CEO and cofounder and Tom Mancinelli is the head of strategy and policy at Antares Nuclear.
