Today's nuclear energy boom is propelled by strong commercial demand from AI data centers and defense, not government R&D. This market-driven "demand pull" for energy is finally creating the business case for advanced and small modular reactors.

Startups can bypass the lengthy NRC process for initial reactor tests by using Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) pathways. The DOE, with national labs, can regulate test reactors for faster innovation. Crucially, the Army can now license its own reactors, creating a direct regulatory and commercial path to a key market.

In a surprising turn, the man who built America's nuclear industry later developed a "doomerous" perspective. Citing cost overruns and societal risks, Rickover advised President Jimmy Carter against further commitments to nuclear power, demonstrating a complex and critical view of his own legacy.

When the Navy admiralty tried to force him into retirement, Rickover leveraged his strong, informal relationships with the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. His candor, a liability within the Navy, became an asset with civilian politicians who ultimately forced his promotion.

Rickover's ability to navigate bureaucracy and win political support was founded on two decades of quiet, heads-down work as an engineering officer. This built a deep reputation for technical excellence that became the bedrock of his later power and influence.

Rickover’s vision extended beyond just building a submarine; he created an entire ecosystem. He founded the first nuclear engineering university programs and forced private industry, like Westinghouse, to create entirely new supply chains for materials like zirconium from scratch.

Rickover purposefully distinguished between engineers and scientists, showing disdain for the latter's theoretical focus. He prioritized building practical, reliable systems—like choosing a simple water-cooled reactor—over more advanced but unproven designs, enabling him to deliver the nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule.

Rickover created a unique dual reporting structure for his Naval Reactors program, placing it within both the Navy and the civilian Atomic Energy Commission. This allowed him to play the two bureaucracies against each other and consolidate control over all things nuclear.

Rickover's legendary focus on safety was deeply political. He understood that any accident would erode public trust and threaten congressional funding for his entire nuclear program. He managed the technology's public perception as carefully as he managed the reactors.