CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Tom Cotton (R-AR)

S.Amdt. 6569

S.Amdt. 6569 · Senate amendment

A Republican amendment with no cosponsors

Changes S. 4784 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Offered

Offered, and not voted on yet. Most amendments never get a vote: the Senate takes up the bill and moves on without them.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Cotton, aims to add a new section to bill S. 4784 to create the Operational Energy Deployable Nuclear Power Program.

The purpose of this addition is to have the Secretary of Defense start a program to deploy, operate, and evaluate a transportable nuclear microreactor—defined as a reactor with a capacity of no more than 50 megawatts—within the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.

Key Goals and Changes

  • Objective: The goal is to deploy and operate the reactor by January 1, 2030, to support expeditionary and distributed operations in contested logistics environments, specifically prioritizing the Western Pacific area.

  • Leadership: The Secretary of Defense must appoint a military department Secretary as the executive agent to handle the program and budget. This agent will coordinate with the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, and as needed, the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

  • Required Actions: The program must validate operational requirements, create a test and evaluation plan covering safety and security, and conduct joint operational demonstrations during at least one major exercise.

  • Funding: Starting in fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of Defense must set up a dedicated budget mechanism to support the program and the transition from demonstration to operational use.