WATERTOWN, N.Y. Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) today welcomed the Army’s selection of Fort Drum under the Janus Program, the Army’s next-generation nuclear energy initiative, positioning the installation to host an advanced microreactor power plant. The decision also marks a significant first step in New York State’s effort to expand its nuclear generation footprint and strengthen its power supply, setting the stage for the first nuclear reactor built in New York in nearly 40 years.

“This is a defining moment for Fort Drum, for the North Country and for New York state,” said Gray. “I have been engaged in this effort at the community and state level on Fort Drum’s behalf since 2023, because I believed then, as I do now, that reliable, secure power is essential to our national defense and to the future of this installation. Today’s announcement proves that steady, pragmatic work pays off.”

The Janus Program is designed to deliver secure, resilient and reliable energy to the nation’s most critical defense installations while driving American leadership in advanced nuclear technology. Through the program, the Army intends to construct an advanced nuclear reactor capable of generating up to 20 megawatts at full capacity. Fort Drum was selected from among nine installations considered nationwide, following a comprehensive review of mission-critical requirements, energy and resiliency needs, existing power infrastructure and environmental and technical considerations.

The program is being carried out as a public-private partnership. Working through the Defense Innovation Unit, the Army is partnering with Westinghouse, for the Fort Drum buildout, under a milestone-based contracting model to design, build and operate the reactor.

The stakes of this project reach well beyond the installation. Fort Drum is a power projection platform, one of the installations from which the Army generates, deploys and sustains combat power around the world. A platform of that kind can only be as reliable as the power that runs it. Today, that power comes almost entirely from the commercial grid, which leaves critical missions exposed to outages, extreme weather and deliberate threats. A secure, on-site nuclear power source removes that vulnerability. It allows Fort Drum to keep operating even if the surrounding grid goes down, directly improving readiness and hardening the installation as a launch point for national defense.

Gray noted that the selection has importance far beyond the installation's fence line. “This solidifies Fort Drum’s importance to the North Country economy, to New York state and, most importantly, to our national defense structure. A resilient power projection platform is a stronger power projection platform, and that will keep this installation relevant for the decades ahead.”

Gray added that the announcement ranks among the most consequential in the installation’s modern history. “I would put this only second to the reactivation of the 10th Mountain Division and the selection of Fort Drum as its home more than 40 years ago. That decision shaped a generation in the North Country. This one will shape the next.”

For New York, the project represents a turning point. The reactor would be the first built in the state since the late 1980s, and Gray said it can serve as a proof point for how advanced nuclear energy can be brought online safely and responsibly to meet the growing power demand.

Gray closed by thanking the many partners who helped make the selection. “An achievement like this is never the work of one person or one office,” Gray said. “I want to thank the Pentagon’s Janus team at the Department of the Army, the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division and the civilian personnel at Fort Drum who make this installation run every day. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, the New York Power Authority and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for their partnership at the state level. I would also like to thank the Center for Community Studies at JCC, the local government leaders for supporting this project along with us, and members of this community who have stood behind Fort Drum at every turn. This is our win together.”

“There is real work ahead, and I intend to stay at the table for every step of it,” Gray said. “The North Country has always answered the call for our national defense. We are ready to do it again.”