WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) wrote U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth detailing the need for the Department of Defense (DoD) and specifically the Army to ensure consistent, resilient power sources for critical missions and operations in remote environments, including areas like Guam.
“In light of the heightened energy needs of the Department of Defense (DoD) and growing threats from our adversaries, we write to urge DoD, and especially, the Department of the Army, to bolster the protection and resilience of our critical infrastructure. In particular, we encourage the Army to consider all energy supply sources, such as advanced civil nuclear technology, for critical mission demands and increased resilience for U.S. bases,” the senators wrote.
Highlighting the importance of securing U.S. leadership in the investment and deployment of nuclear energy and reactors, the senators stressed the need to counter the advancement of our foreign adversaries, including the People’s Republic of China.
“It is critical that the United States lead in the development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors to secure our own critical infrastructure with resilient, continuous power, especially for DoD mission critical operations in remote and austere environments. The United States must also ensure, alongside our partners and allies, that our adversaries do not monopolize control of nuclear fuel supply chains and new nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) – where contracts can span sixty to one hundred years – to exert undue geopolitical and economic influence, set nefarious global standards around nuclear technology, and control supply chains for critical sources of energy,” they continued.
The senators asked that the DoD and Army continue to brief the Intelligence Committee on future energy deployment plans.
The senators concluded, “We encourage DoD, and the Army, to fulfill Congressional intent to explore deployment of secure, continuous, reliable power to critical infrastructure and mission critical operations. We request the Army to brief our staff on future deployment plans, including the Army’s pilot microreactor program, and the Army’s plans for expeditiously deploying SMRs to power larger installations and facilities. DoD and the Army will be important leaders in the coming decades in ensuring the energy security of the U.S. and our ability to outcompete our adversaries in advanced technology domains that underpin the U.S. defense enterprise.”
A copy of the letter is available here
