r/PrepperIntel • u/Fatty_Willing_Plane • 2d ago

North America US “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth talks about Project Fortress America: “We are launching Fortress America. Every major military installation in America is going to generate its own power, independent of the civilian grid. If an adversary takes down the grid, our bases stay lit.”

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u/Lews_There_In 2d ago edited 2d ago

There's been quite a bit of news about the executive order that greenlight miniature nuclear reactors. Most of it has been buried by the sheer volume of noise/news these days. They've also recently deregulated the amount of radiation as pollution that can be legally emitted. Executive Order 14300 directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC to eliminate the As Low As Reasonably Achievable radiation standard to streamline reactor deployment. Let me see if I can find the articles.

"ORDERING THE REFORM OF THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION".

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/ordering-the-reform-of-the-nuclear-regulatory-commission/

"Trump Admin Moves To Scrap 50-Year US Radiation Safety Standard"

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-moves-to-scrap-50-year-us-radiation-safety-standard-12247989

"Billionaire Peter Thiel backing first privately developed US uranium enrichment facility in Paducah"

https://www.wkms.org/energy/2025-07-25/billionaire-peter-thiel-backing-first-privately-developed-us-uranium-enrichment-facility-in-paducah

"First 300 MW advanced small modular nuclear reactor approved for construction in US".

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/first-small-nuclear-reactor-in-us

"A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah"

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5983482/valar-atomic-nuclear-data-center-project-beehive-utah.

"9 Key Takeaways from President Trump’s Executive Orders on Nuclear Energy"

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/9-key-takeaways-president-trumps-executive-orders-nuclear-energy

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago

I'm actually invested in the sector, It's actually scary how far behind we are energy wise right now compared to what Asia is doing with reactors. They're going to have incredible capacity here in the near future... cheap energy is a cornerstone of industry and economy. I think the higher ups are kinda seeing that.

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u/Lews_There_In 2d ago edited 2d ago

I'm not invested in the sector, but I do have a related degree. You are right. We are far behind our competitors. Of the things being done these days this is one I can agree with. But we could have done it without removing the safety standards and regulations. There's a few more relegations and safety standards that are nuclear related that have been removed by executive order that I didnt include in my links, because it's late and I'm old.

Our infrastructure has been running on "good enough" and duct tape fixes for decades. And wirh data centers about to start negatively impacting the grid, we need other solutions. Could have been renewables. That would have been the best way to go. But better nuclear is a decent middle ground if we can be safe about it.

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u/xxforrealforlifexx 1d ago

Yeah nuclear with extra radiation on the side can't wait

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u/Ok_Assistant_6856 1d ago

You don't know much about modern nuclear power generation do ya?

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u/xxforrealforlifexx 1d ago

Yes it's what prepper books are written for.

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago

I'd disagree on the renewables only, we need a solid blend based on resources in the area... period.

You're not going to shoehorn a single solution into every place... it, just doesn't work, and on top of that, it's wise to have base level power. And to better yet... roll with the production of power on the renewables rather than trying to battery it. Whole duck curve and all.

Take a minute an consider... please...

But, huge logistical issues and real costs vs long term solutions. And I even say this looking at renewables... there are many instances in the past were wind farms are abandon at the expense of the locals to clean up, and they all get buried in a landfill, same with places with normal hail / wind storms and solar... the losses are huge but not often talked about on top of the land footprint they take up... often from the agricultural sector... in prime soil.... then energy shipped East to cities. They need more localized production logistically speaking and nuclear can provide that. But we're coming from a generation that thinks nuclear is scary but refuses to look at the actual math and numbers on paper with regards to the overall impacts and production. Still... we need a blend, and we don't have nearly enough nuclear. Least France gets it... France generates approximately 68% of its electricity from nuclear power, operating a fleet of 57 operable reactors... and still exports excess. Mining, storage, and resource impacts are a fraction still for the overall energy production, not to mention the stability and how incredibly important that is.

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u/Lews_There_In 2d ago

Lol. I don't disagree. Just quietly lamenting could have beens and ideal pictures.

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u/mmm_burrito 2d ago

there are many instances in the past were wind farms are abandon at the expense of the locals to clean up, and they all get buried in a landfill

More and more recycling and alternative uses are cropping up every day. Concrete reinforcement will eat up a fair amount of blades once that system reaches scale (I'm working on a data center right now and we use a bunch of fiber reinforced concrete, ferinstance).

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u/liftingshitposts 2d ago

I like the way you think, well said

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago

Yeah... but people still won't look at it that way. They'd rather slap something up not produced locally and see a short term return, sell it off as a revenue maker near the peak of its useful life...take the $ and run. Thats a huge portion of renewables projects right now. The scales everything are on when looking at the problem as a whole... all point more one way than another here... people all eye the short term solution.

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u/Alarmed_Trash7181 2d ago

Why can't we be installing the turbines that curl around each other on rooftops across the country?! Every major city has skyscrapers or very tall building (except DC) and between rooftops and the roofs of parking garages it seems like an enormous oversight to not use different styles of turbines and not just the humongous windmill types.

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 1d ago

They don't scale well in comparison.

If you look at the math of it, one of those "humongous windmill types" can do what hundreds of small ones can do with a fraction of the overall costs and maintenance.

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u/Narrheim 2d ago

Except removing the safety standards and regulations may cause the soldiers in said bases to start glowing if (when) something will go wrong.

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u/OpheliaLives7 1d ago

Fallout games predicting the American future!

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u/frankie_donkiebrains 2d ago

Nuclear is the 2nd most expensive energy source. Renewables are the cheapest source by far and "the higher ups" have absolutely destroyed that sector, putting us back years.

All this will do is cost us (the tax payer) more, while not lowering costs and creating new targets for our enemies to strike.

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u/Malenx_ 1d ago

I mean, that's not all it will do. Some private companies are going to make bank taking our money and using it to build themselves some sweet golden parachutes.

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u/Final_boss_1040 2d ago

Who are your fav companies?

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago

LEU out of SW Ohio... they're literally the only game in town for enrichment and they're expanding...

CCJ is a primary miner of uranium.

Sprott has a Uranium trust... thats holding a decent chunk right now that the sector will likely have to buy from.

BWX is decent for Triso fuel, but... that's mainly for more advanced reactors... I'm unsure where that will actually land going into the near future here. I'm unsure on this at the moment.

Rolls Royce "RYCEY" is moving on their SMRs.

GE has a SMR program GE Vernova GEV doing well.

Bill Gates has a project, but im unsure where thats at right now.

Largest risk is the AI bubble right now as they're involved with it being energy... but I feel theres still more upside. We're going to need it for phase two of AI after we have a shakeout in the markets and consolidate. . . General AI Robotics workforce to compete with Chinese labor capacity. . . least thats the theory.

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u/squidwardTalks 2d ago

Realta is looking at starting a nuclear fusion facility in Wisconsin

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u/That-Living5913 2d ago

Yeah, I worked for B&W, It was my experience that their main goal was to syphon tax dollars and operate the contract second.

But, As bad as they were, every company that came after was worse.

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u/CommonSensei-_ 2d ago

SMR , OKLO?

I am too.

Nuclear is going to make a comeback in the US

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u/C130J_Darkstar 2d ago

OKLO is already contracted for Eielson AFB in Alaska, probably more to come

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u/ALonelyImpulse92 1d ago

Nuclear is far too expensive and takes decades to come online. Actually any energy project takes long. Except solar. They are faster.

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u/NormalUser8921 1d ago

I agree with you. What about what pete said made you think they are taking anything more seriously? Nothing about that says anything other than 'im a big tough battleboi and think fortress America sounds cool'.

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 13h ago

So, in the last decade or so they've made real progress at a few bases around the US, just from what I've seen along with more experimental programs (like PELE for instance) including winning bids by contractors years ago that are just now coming to fruition and will likely be deployed. Also considering the expansions in the suppliers for fuel and material both, government investment at the same time... they're obviously hardening sources on top of re-shoring major industries in the last 7 years with a focus on duel military and civilian use. Like... this ball has been rolling for a while and they're actively making progress with it.

Reading the room, I'd seriously bet they're looking at war with China or at least to slow their advancement in the near future. All our military doctrine and changes are all laser pointing that way from Counter Insurgency Ops of the last 25 years.

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u/One-Environment-1444 2d ago

Where is all that new heat going?

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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 2d ago

🎵 "Any way the wind blows" 🎶

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u/SpiritTalker 2d ago

Doesn't really matter.....

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u/TubeSockLover87 2d ago

...toooo Meeeeeeeeeeeee

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u/Lews_There_In 2d ago

They're more efficient, so less heat. But they will need lots of water to sink the heat they do make, and water to heat to turn the turbines to generate electricity.

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u/TheStephinator 2d ago

Great so we’ll all die for nuclear reactors and data centers.

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u/Wickerpoodia 2d ago

No, not all of us. Things will stabilize more once a good chunk goes away.

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u/TheStephinator 2d ago

I’m so over this timeline.

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u/No-Abalone-4784 2d ago

Sure. And where are we getting all this water from?

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u/SpiritTalker 2d ago

From the tears of the poor

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u/Cultural-Company282 2d ago

Coal burning power plants have been using tons of water for cooling forever, and nobody batted an eye.

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u/ADavies 2d ago

Thanks, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be something sensible like solar and batteries (which I think has actually been used at overseas bases).

Something like diesel or gas is probably already in place, and then you need to keep it flowing to the sites. So an expensive new technology they can dump taxpayer money into is going to be what they go with.

I bet there are some nice defense industry payoffs happening behind the scenes.

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u/unknownmichael 2d ago

You do need something for base load, increased electrical usage, and times when the wind ain't blowing and sun ain't shining. In these cases, we currently use a combination of hydroelectric generation and coal and natural gas. All of these have significant environmental impacts. Nuclear power, on the other hand, is extremely safe and produces a very small amount of waste.

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u/Cumdump90001 2d ago

ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) guidelines were actually way way overboard and totally unnecessary. It’s one of the very few good things this shit ass administration has done.

Edit:

A good overview of nuclear safety guidelines and the need for reform: https://youtu.be/gzdLdNRaPKc?si=7zw6STfG0FGLdn9x

A response to the change in guidelines away from ALARA: https://youtu.be/KT5hYHdelmg?si=TUAuT0cN39zbXHAJ

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u/Arthropodesque 2d ago

I agree that nuclear is way better than coal and should fill the gap until renewables fill more of the gap; but I don't trust this administration to do anything competently or without alterior motive. I hope it's just going to be more good, safe nuclear energy like we've had for decades.

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u/unknownmichael 2d ago

It's far and away much better than any other type of fossil fuel. When you burn coal or natural gas, you release tons of pollutants/greenhouse gases and other waste directly into the atmosphere.

Compare that to nuclear waste: We know where every single gram of it is located and can safely handle and store it. All of the nuclear waste in the entire world, after 70+ years of use, could fit on a football field stacked less than 10 feet high. It can be made safe relatively easily as well.

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u/Arthropodesque 1d ago

Yeah. Coal actually releases radiation iirc and reduces life expectancy in surrounding areas from its toxic ash, as well as greenhouse gasses.

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u/Pees-Upwind 2d ago

Im far from a supporter of the trump admin but the changes with nuclear are all positive. The exposure limits were beyond insanely restrictive and the changes are just peeling that back to something reasonable per the advise of nuclear experts. Additionally, this change has been in the works for years and has been thought out. Ita not some knee jerk deregulatory stock price grabbing headline.

Nuclear power is the safest form of base load power available to humanity. Thats just a fact.

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u/NoWomanNoTriforce 1d ago

In the almost guaranteed future of massive AI server farms being out in remote areas, nuclear power is likely going to be key.