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2026 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 15–18, 2026
Phoenix, AZ|Arizona Grand Resort & Spa
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Five companies, five bases: The Army’s Janus Program takes shape
Between the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses and Nuclear Energy Launch Pad programs, August has already been a busy month for federal partnerships with the nuclear industry.
That trend continues: On Wednesday, the Department of the Army announced that it has selected five nuclear reactor developers—Antares Nuclear, BWXT Advanced Technologies, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, Radiant Industries, and Westinghouse Government Services—each paired with a different military installation, for its Janus Program.
This week, the nuclear community descended on Dallas, Texas, for the second annual Nuclear Energy Conference and Expo, the premier industry-focused nuclear conference cohosted by the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Energy Institute. Among the plenary panelists was Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment. Waksman has been closely involved in the development of the Janus Program, and the morning before the program’s new selections were unveiled, he provided insights on its ultimate goals at NECX 2026.
Stephen Allan Becker
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 1 | October 2024 | Pages S105-S109
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2235494
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
On October 31, 1952, the United States successfully detonated the Los Alamos Mike thermonuclear device on the surface of Elugelab Island at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This test was the first demonstration of a high-yield thermonuclear explosion on Earth. The 10.4-Mt device yield obliterated Elugelab Island and left a 6240-ft-diameter underwater crater. Later, radiochemical analysis of the explosion debris produced the unanticipated discovery of 15 new heavy transuranic isotopes and two new elements, which were later named einsteinium and fermium. Initially, the discovery of these elements was classified, but in 1955, the results were declassified and announced to the world. The Mike results later led to the development of the Heavy Element and Isotope Effort under the U.S. Plowshare Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Program, under which additional new heavy transuranic isotopes were produced.