The Department of Defense (DoD) has been pursuing advanced terrestrial nuclear power for military installation energy and mobile applications since it was recommended by the Defense Science Board a decade ago. These efforts have accelerated under the Trump Administration's push for American energy dominance and there are now four key DoD programs. The map identifies…
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U.S. and China Nuclear Goals and Status
Sources: IAEA Country Profiles (USA and China) World Nuclear Association Outlook Report (USA and China) The United States, along with 38 other nations, pledged in November 2024 to triple nuclear energy by 2050. President Trump’s May 2025 Executive Order 14302, “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base,” expanded that goal to quadrupling American nuclear energy generation to 400GW by 2050. According to…
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A Hollywood Highlight Reel for the Nuclear Renaissance
A longer version of this article can be found here. The hoped-for American nuclear renaissance now has a spectacular highlight reel. It is a cinematic marriage of national security and nuclear flexing that features three C-17’s airlifting a Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 advanced nuclear reactor from California to Utah. But despite the undeniably priceless political and public relations value…
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Department of Defense Advanced Reactor Programs
The February 15, 2026 transport of the Valar Atomics Ward 250 microreactor on three U.S. Air Force C-17s from California to Utah received considerable attention and raised the profile of the nuclear reactor development activities of the Department of Defense. While Valar is not a DoD reactor vendor, its collaboration with the Air Force in this case…
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