Sec. 922. Establishment of Advanced Nuclear Transition Working Group
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Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish an Advanced Nuclear Transition Working Group (referred to in this section as the working group ). The Working Group shall be composed of the following members: The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment. The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment.
The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. The Joint Staff Director for Logistics, J4. The Principal Director for Energy Resilience of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office. The Director of the Defense Innovation Unit. The heads of such other components of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Chair. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs, or a designee, shall serve as the Chair of the Working Group.
The duties of the Working Group shall include the following: To develop and execute a strategy to accelerate the procurement and fielding of commercial advanced nuclear capabilities, in compliance with laws, regulations, and agreements, and consistent with best practices. To identify and elevate the critical energy requirements of the combatant commands, United States military installations, and the infrastructure and mission capabilities needs of the combatant commands and military installations that may be addressed with advanced nuclear reactors.
To connect the combatant commands and military installations with ongoing and planned efforts. To create an accelerated pathway to leverage advanced nuclear technologies to address operational gaps. To provide a forum for members of the Working Group to coordinate advanced nuclear demonstration and transition efforts, including by increasing opportunities and venues for government and commercial research and development, testing and evaluation, and procurement activities. To advocate for appropriate levels of resourcing within planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes to advance the development and use of nuclear energy technologies across the Department of Defense.
To coordinate interagency activities and develop best practices on workforce development, regulatory pathways, licensing frameworks, access to fuel sources, safety and security standards, and decommissioning that currently hinder more rapid fielding of advanced nuclear reactors. To establish venues through which to engage commercial companies developing advanced reactors so as to review the technology readiness, timeline, and availability of reactor capabilities for defense applications.
To inform and complete the briefings and reports required in subsection (f). The Working Group shall meet at the call of the Chair and not less than once per quarter. Not later than September 30, 2026, and annually thereafter until 2029, the Chair shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing the status of advanced nuclear projects, associated funding and requirements, planned program transitions, actions, and milestones of the Working Group, and other matters as determined by the Secretary of Defense and the Working Group during the preceding year.
Each report required by paragraph
(1)shall include the following: A summary on the adequacy of existing energy storage and distribution systems to meet mission requirements in a contested or austere operating environment. An identification of the critical energy requirements of the combatant commands, United States military installations, and the infrastructure and weapons capabilities needs of the combatant commands and military installations that may be addressed with the use of microreactors or small modular reactors, including through expeditionary, transportable, stationary, space-based, or floating power plants. A list of prioritized potential use cases, including— base electric power; power for operational systems in austere environments; desalination or other water production systems; synthetic fuel production; directed energy weapons; artificial intelligence at the edge; defense support of civil authorities; humanitarian response; and 3D/additive manufacturing. Recommendations for at least 3 pilot projects. The term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. The Working Group shall terminate on September 30, 2029. The Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program for deploying microreactors at United States military installations to strengthen energy resilience and reduce reliance on vulnerable civilian grids.