The next national security crisis may not begin with a missile. It may start with a power failure — one that takes down a hospital, a command center, or a military installation at exactly the wrong moment. The data demands we take that seriously.

In 2024, U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of 11 hours of power outages — nearly twice the annual average of the previous decade, according to the Energy Information Administration. [1] The DOE estimates grid outages already cost American businesses $150 billion per year. [2] And the trend line is moving in the wrong direction: since 2015, national power outages have surged by over 150%, driven by a combination of rising demand and extreme weather events amplified by climate change. [3]

On the defense side, the structural exposure is just as stark. The Department of Defense is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, accounting for approximately 76% of total federal energy consumption. [4] Yet DoD installations rely on the commercial electricity grid for 99% of their electricity needs — a grid that remains vulnerable to disruption from natural hazards and actor-induced outages, including physical and cyber attacks. [5]

That is a dangerous dependency. And it's one this country can no longer afford to ignore.

The Cyber Threat Deserves More Attention

Grid vulnerability isn't only a weather story — it's a national security story, and one that's escalating fast.

Trustwave SpiderLabs reported an 80% rise in ransomware attacks targeting energy and utilities in 2025, with average incident costs exceeding $5 million. [6] The hardware threat runs even deeper: in May 2025, security experts discovered rogue communication devices embedded in solar inverters and batteries installed across the United States — devices capable of bypassing firewalls, enabling unauthorized remote access, and, if exploited, triggering widespread blackouts. [7]

The federal government is aware of the problem. The DOE's own inspector general flagged AI governance and cybersecurity as two of the agency's most significant management challenges heading into 2026, warning that without stronger coordination, growing reliance on advanced digital systems could expose critical infrastructure to serious operational and security risks. [8]

The old playbook — centralized grids, diesel backup generators, reactive emergency response — wasn't built for this threat environment. We need infrastructure that's as dynamic as the threats it faces.

Why AI-Enabled Microgrids Change the Equation

Microgrids are often framed as backup power systems. That framing undersells them significantly.

Deployed with AI-driven intelligence, a modern microgrid is an active, autonomous energy asset. It can forecast load in real time, detect system anomalies before they cascade, segment critical operations from a compromised broader grid, and resynchronize automatically when conditions stabilize. It's programmable, auditable, and cyber-hardened in ways legacy infrastructure simply isn't designed to be.

For defense and federal applications, this distinction is operationally decisive. Cyber-secure microgrids with on-site generation and storage are now explicitly prioritized across the services for disruptive event management and mission-critical continuity — with the U.S. Army targeting microgrid deployment at all its domestic and overseas bases by 2035. [9]

The market is pricing in this shift. The global microgrid market is projected to grow from $43.47 billion in 2025 to $95.16 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 17%, according to MarketsandMarkets. [10] The AI-specific segment is growing even faster: the AI in microgrid control systems market is expected to reach $1.55 billion by 2030, up from $564.59 million in 2024, at a CAGR of 18.4%. [11] The investment signal is clear, sustained, and accelerating.

Federal Demand Is Real, Funded, and Moving

This isn't speculative spending — it's congressionally mandated and already in execution.

The FY2026 ERCIP funding request stands at $722.9 million, serving as the DoD's principal mechanism for executing high-priority projects to construct microgrids, improve energy resilience, and strengthen grid security across military installations. [12] Recent budgets have sought over $500 million specifically for microgrid projects to manage energy during disruptions, with total military microgrid spending projected to reach $1.4 billion in 2026. [9]

The deployment pipeline is concrete and named. FY2026 ERCIP projects include power generation and microgrid construction at White Sands Missile Range, Fort Bragg, Travis Air Force Base, and a major installation in Japan. [13] At USAG Ansbach in Germany, it has already begun — ERCIP microgrid construction incorporating full cybersecurity architecture and islanding capability is projected to break ground in 2026. [14]

This is an active market. Real contracts, real sites, real operational urgency behind every line item.

What We're Building at NeutronX

When NeutronX and NextNRG (NASDAQ: NXXT) signed our MOU on February 9, 2026 — followed by an exclusive definitive cooperation agreement on February 25 — it wasn't a bet on a future trend. It was a recognition that the federal government's execution gap is just as large as its awareness of the problem. Agencies know what needs to be built. What they need are partners who can navigate complex acquisition environments, integrate AI-driven technology at pace, and own outcomes rather than just deliver equipment.

Our model is built around that reality. NeutronX leads federal capture, contracting, and technology integration. NextNRG serves as the exclusive execution partner for government contracts — deploying AI-driven microgrid platforms, battery storage, and mobile fueling infrastructure at scale. NextNRG's revenue grew 146% over the last twelve months, with a 253% year-over-year increase in December 2025 alone. The operational foundation is real and growing. [15]

The Right Team for the Complexity

What I've come to understand in this work is that deploying advanced energy infrastructure in government environments is as much a governance and trust challenge as it is a technical one. Procurement cycles, stakeholder alignment, institutional relationships — these are as decisive as the technology stack itself.

That's why the addition of Scott Mauvais to our team this week matters well beyond a résumé. Scott spent 23 years at Microsoft — most recently as Senior Director of AI and Global Partnerships for Microsoft Philanthropies, and previously as Director of Microsoft Cities, where he worked directly with city and civic leaders on urban technology systems and helped raise more than $120 million in philanthropic funding. He has spent his career doing exactly what this moment requires: getting advanced technology deployed inside complex, multi-stakeholder institutional environments. [16]

"Scott brings a rare combination of experience across AI, cities, partnerships, and applied infrastructure innovation. His background strengthens our ability to help develop practical, scalable solutions at the intersection of energy systems, advanced technology, and real-world deployment." — Colonel Emilio Gonzalez, President, NeutronX

That combination — AI fluency, municipal and federal stakeholder experience, and a deep understanding of how institutions actually make decisions — is not common. It's exactly the profile this mission requires.

The Urgency Is Not Overstated

A recent DOE analysis warned that if planned firm generation retirements proceed without timely replacement, annual outage hours could increase from single digits today to more than 800 hours per year — a trajectory that would leave millions of homes, businesses, and federal facilities exposed. [17]

That risk applies with equal force — arguably greater force — to the military installations, emergency operations centers, and critical federal infrastructure that underpin national readiness. The window for incremental responses has closed.

AI-driven, resilient energy infrastructure is no longer a modernization goal. It's a baseline operational requirement.

That's the work NeutronX and NextNRG are built to do. And we're moving with the urgency the mission demands.

Lorna Ceaser is Chief Operating Officer of NeutronX Corporation, a federal-focused technology integrator specializing in AI-enabled autonomous infrastructure and national resilience systems.

Sources

[1] U.S. Energy Information Administration — Electric Power Monthly, Power Outage Data 2024. https://www.eia.gov

[2] U.S. Joint Economic Committee — How Renewable Energy Can Make the Power Grid More Reliable (2024). https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2024/1/how-renewable-energy-can-make-the-power-grid-more-reliable-and-address-risks-to-electricity-infrastructure

[3] Federation of American Scientists — When America Goes Dark, What Comes Next? (2024). https://fas.org/publication/grid-failure-extreme-heat/

[4] Defense Strategies Institute — DoD Energy & Power Summit, Federal Energy Consumption Data. http://power.dsigroup.org/

[5] RAND Corporation — Capabilities-Based Planning Can Enhance Energy Security at DoD Installations. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR162.html

[6] GovInfoSecurity / Trustwave SpiderLabs — Overcoming Security Challenges in Remote Energy Operations (2026). https://www.govinfosecurity.com/overcoming-security-challenges-in-remote-energy-operations-a-30741

[7] Just Security — Why The Next Great Infrastructure Risk Is Distributed (2025). https://www.justsecurity.org/123955/securing-solar-infrastructure-risk/

[8] GovInfoSecurity — US Energy Dept Flags AI, Cyber Gaps as Top Risks for 2026. https://www.govinfosecurity.com/us-energy-dept-flags-ai-cyber-gaps-as-top-risks-for-2026-a-30391

[9] Industrial Info Resources — Coming Soon to a Military Base Near You: Microgrids (2026). https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/coming-soon-to-a-military-base-near-you-microgrids--353078

[10] MarketsandMarkets — Microgrid Market Size, Share & Growth Forecast 2025–2030 (September 2025). https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/micro-grid-electronics-market-917.html

[11] Virtue Market Research / OpenPR — AI in Microgrid Control Systems Market Forecast to 2030 (December 2025). https://www.openpr.com/news/4306786/the-global-artificial-intelligence-in-microgrid-control

[12] U.S. DoD Comptroller — FY2026 Military Construction Budget Estimates, ERCIP Program ($722.9M). https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2026/budget_justification/pdfs/07_Military_Construction/5-Special_Program_Considerations.pdf

[13] U.S. DoD Comptroller — FY2026 ERCIP Project List by Component (White Sands, Fort Bragg, Travis AFB, Japan). https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2026/budget_justification/pdfs/07_Military_Construction/14-Energy_Resilience_and_Conservation_Investment_Program.pdf

[14] U.S. Army — USAG Ansbach Advances Energy Resilience, Preps ERCIP Projects (December 2025). https://www.army.mil/article/289620/usag_ansbach_advances_energy_resilience_preps_ercip_projects

[15] GlobeNewswire — NextNRG and NeutronX Corporation Sign MOU to Deploy Energy Infrastructure for Government and Defense Projects (February 2026). https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/09/3234691/0/en/NextNRG-and-NeutronX-Corporation-Sign-MOU-to-Deploy-Energy-Infrastructure-for-Government-and-Defense-Projects.html

[16] PR Newswire — NeutronX Appoints Former Microsoft Senior Director Scott Mauvais (March 2026). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/neutronx-appoints-former-microsoft-senior-director-of-ai-and-global-partnerships-and-former-director-of-microsoft-cities-scott-mauvais-to-advance-ai-driven-energy-and-microgrid-infrastructure-with-nextnrg-nasdaq-nxxt-302719608.html

[17] U.S. Department of Energy — Report on Evaluating U.S. Grid Reliability and Security (2026). https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-releases-report-evaluating-us-grid-reliability-and-security

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