Sitting Ducks or Strategic Shields: What Does the Small Reactor Promise Mean for Future Conflicts?

Amid the rapid expansion of AI and data centers alongside growing climate commitments as the demand for clean energy rises, nuclear power is increasingly viewed as a reliable source to fill the gaps and complement the stochastic output of solar and hydropower. This renewed interest is also driven in part by countries’ pursuit of greater energy self-reliance, even as energy and nuclear infrastructure continue to become consequential targets in armed conflict — to disrupt electricity supplies, undermine military capabilities, and pursue counterproliferation objectives. Small modular