House Passes Annual Defense Bill Alongside Guidance Report Including Fusion
On June 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The report that the House Armed Services Committee passed, along with the bill includes guidance to the DoD on fusion energy, noting that “the committee believes that compact fusion power technologies, if matured to an appropriate level, could provide significant advantages to the Department of Defense.”
The committee directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services by March 1, 2025 that includes:
- An assessment of the technology readiness levels of fusion power technologies currently in development, including compact and modular approaches,
- An assessment of the potential for compact modular fusion power technologies to address needs and challenges described in the National Defense Strategy and other relevant strategic guidance documents,
- An assessment of fusion power technologies under development by adversaries or strategic competitors of the United States, and
- An identification of key supporting activities for and pacing challenges to the adoption of compact fusion power technologies responsive to Department of Defense needs.
Below is the excerpt on fusion; you can read the full Report below.
Compact fusion energy sources
The committee notes with interest the announcement by the Defense Innovation Unit on May 17, 2022, regarding accelerated ground and flight testing for compact fusion energy sources for on-orbit power. The committee believes that compact fusion power technologies, if matured to an appropriate level, could provide significant advantages to the Department of Defense. The committee likewise notes ongoing progress made by the Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office on Project Pele, an effort to design, build, and demonstrate a prototype mobile nuclear fission reactor. In particular, the committee is monitoring with interest the work done by Project Pele to demonstrate the ability of mobile nuclear power generation technologies to comply fully with all relevant regulations and statutory requirements, satisfy stakeholder concerns, and operate safely in real-world conditions. The committee believes that such pathfinder efforts could ultimately prove beneficial for eventual adoption and deployment of compact fusion capabilities. Therefore, the committee directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services not later than March 1, 2025, that includes: (1) an assessment of the technology readiness levels of fusion power technologies currently in development, including compact and modular approaches; (2) an assessment of the potential for compact modular fusion power technologies to address needs and challenges described in the National Defense Strategy and other relevant strategic guidance documents; (3) an assessment of fusion power technologies under development by adversaries or strategic competitors of the United States; and (4) an identification of key supporting activities for and pacing challenges to the adoption of compact fusion power technologies responsive to Department of Defense needs.
Report of the Committee on Armed Services House of Representatives on H.R. 8070