OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 8, 2026--
Amentum today opened its Global Nuclear headquarters in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The facility, which houses Amentum’s Nuclear Center of Excellence, now serves as a centralized hub for the company’s international nuclear business operations.
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Located at 151 Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, the hub employs more than 150 subject-matter experts dedicated to delivering innovative engineering, technology solutions and advanced energy capabilities. The facility anchors Amentum’s deepening footprint in east Tennessee, where the company already serves as the lead partner in United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), the U.S. Department of Energy’s prime environmental management contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation.
“The opening of our Global Nuclear Headquarters represents a monumental step forward for our business and our industry,” said Mark Whitney, president of Amentum’s Energy & Environment division. “By centralizing our global nuclear operations in Oak Ridge, we are leveraging strong local partnerships to deliver increased energy capacity to meet the electricity demand of the people and businesses across the U.S. This facility empowers our team of experts to deliver next-generation nuclear innovation, and it builds directly upon the strong operational foundation we've established in the region through our Amentum-led UCOR partnership while contributing directly to regional economic growth.”
To sustain the industry’s rapidly expanding need for professional and technical labor, Amentum simultaneously launched the Amentum Nuclear Scholars Program. This transformational initiative establishes a synchronized scholarship pipeline between Roane State Community College and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The newly founded partnership is headlined by a five-year investment from Amentum totaling $500,000 towards developing curriculum and scholarships that build the critical talent pipeline for the world’s growing nuclear energy demands. When combined with other Amentum-led STEM sponsorships and donations in the Oak Ridge community, total student support for these two academic institutions exceeds $1 million.
“By launching the Amentum Nuclear Scholars Program alongside our new headquarters, we are directly investing in the local student talent who will pioneer the future of advanced energy and infrastructure solutions,” Whitney said.
The educational pipeline will launch its first student cohort stateside in late 2026, followed by integration with Amentum’s international academic partners in the fall of 2027.
To celebrate the opening, Amentum hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring CEO John Heller, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) local elected leaders and school officials.
“This partnership paves the way for students to gain the educational foundation necessary to excel as future leaders in the nuclear industry,” said UTK Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) Dean Matthew Mench, the Wayne T. Davis dean’s chair of the college. “Through the financial support from Amentum and practical internship experiences, TCE students will be prepared to step directly into high-demand roles that will positively impact our community, state and country.”
“By partnering with Amentum, we are opening doors for students to start right here in their community and graduate onto a global stage,” said Dr. Chris Whaley, Roane State Community College president. “The Amentum Nuclear Scholars Program removes the financial hurdles that often halt a student’s momentum, providing a direct, supported pathway from our classrooms straight into high-wage, high-impact careers.”
About Amentum
Amentum is a global leader in advanced engineering and innovative technology solutions, trusted by the United States and its allies to address their most significant and complex challenges in science, security and sustainability. Our people apply undaunted curiosity, relentless ambition and boundless imagination to challenge convention and drive progress. Our commitments are underpinned by the belief that safety, collaboration and well-being are integral to success. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, we have approximately 50,000 employees in more than 70 countries across all seven continents.
Visit us at amentum.com to learn how we advance the future together.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains or incorporates by reference statements by Amentum Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) that relate to future events and expectations and, as such, constitute “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements may be characterized by terminology such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “target,” “endeavor,” “seek,” “predict,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements, other than historical facts, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated work and revenue under the awarded contract, and the Company’s objectives, expectations and intentions, applicable legal, economic and regulatory conditions, and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, are forward-looking statements.
A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in or implied by these forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including, among others: the occurrence of an accident or safety incident; the ability of the Company to control costs, meet performance requirements or contractual schedules; and other factors set forth under Item 1A, Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Sept. 27, 2024, which can be found at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or the Investor Relations portion of our website at www.amentum.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
Ribbon cutting at Amentum's Global Nuclear HQ.
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether you realize it or not, your child may be enrolled in a “Trump Account.”
Rolled out earlier this year, the Trump Accounts program allows parents to claim special investment accounts for children who are 18 years old or younger. And some babies are eligible to receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the government.
Now, because of automatic enrollment highlighted Wednesday by President Donald Trump, the Treasury Department says every eligible child with a valid Social Security number has a Trump Account. But parents and legal guardians would still need to formally activate the accounts if they haven't already.
Here’s what we know.
The accounts are a savings tool that invests money in the stock market on a child’s behalf. The child can’t access the money until they turn 18 and can use it only for specific purposes, such as paying tuition, starting a business or making a down payment on a home. Families can activate an account through the program’s trumpaccounts.gov website or its mobile phone app.
The government will make a $1,000 contribution for some babies after the account is claimed. To qualify for the $1,000 seed money, a baby must be a U.S. citizen, have a Social Security number and be born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — covering Trump's current term.
Any parent — regardless of their immigration status — can open an account for a qualifying child. Parents of older children also are encouraged to open accounts. Even though they aren't eligible for the government's $1,000 contribution, some older children are eligible for seed money of $250 drawn from separate investments from wealthy donors.
Otherwise, family contributions will need to come out of pocket. Parents can contribute up to $2,500 annually in pretax income, much like retirement accounts. Employers, relatives, friends, local governments and philanthropic groups can also pitch in. Yearly contributions are capped at $5,000, although contributions from governments and charities don’t count toward that total.
Private banks and brokerages will manage the money. When the accounts were originally conceived, investments were restricted to broader index funds. But with updated rules from the Treasury Department late last month, eligible wealthy investors can now also donate stock from individual companies.
With automatic enrollment, Trump said 70 million children will now have the accounts, up from 8 million created since their launch in July.
Researchers from the Brown School's Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis advocated for the automatic enrollment. And Jin Huang, co-director of the center, called the administration's move “a big step."
“Automatic enrollment is the most important policy design feature for early wealth building programs, in order to ensure full inclusion of all eligible children," said Huang, citing research from his team.
Still, he says, more work needs to be done. Parents and legal guardians need to formally claim the accounts to activate them — as well as elect the $1,000 seed money if they're eligible — and Huang says “each of these steps will lower the participation,” with particular barriers facing low-income families who may not already have access to similar investments.
When Trump Accounts were first rolled out, investments were initially restricted to broad index funds — in theory to decrease risk while still yielding incremental growth. But among additional updates to the program, eligible wealthy investors can now also donate stock from individual companies.
“It’s a way to encourage participation in the program,” explained Nathan C. Goldman, a professor of accounting at North Carolina State University. He said many of the world’s wealthiest people don’t have “a whole lot of liquid cash sitting around” and might instead turn to shares.
Still, he notes, individual stocks are more volatile than indexes. And families wouldn’t get a say about which companies might donate to their children’s portfolios.
It’s important to note that the child won’t be able to access the money until they turn 18, except in rare circumstances. So the money can’t help with immediate expenses.
But once a beneficiary of a Trump Account turns 18, they can choose to use the money from it however they want. Trump account beneficiaries can also choose to roll the investment over to a Roth IRA account.
“You’re extending the life of this thing beyond the 18 years; you’re going all the way out into the child’s potential retirement,” said Myranda Fabian, a certified financial planner with Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
Moving the earnings from a Trump Account to a Roth IRA will be subject to taxation. Roth IRA accounts allow earnings to grow and to be withdrawn free of taxation when an adult reaches retirement age.
The 529 accounts are meant to invest for qualified educational expenses, such as college tuition, trade school and student loans, among other expenses. They grow tax-free, while investment earnings from Trump accounts will be taxed when withdrawn, and 529 account funds can be transferred to eligible family members.
Still, they're specifically limited to spending on education. In contrast, there are more options to park money from Trump Accounts after a child turns 18.
Custodial brokerage accounts, on the other hand, are taxable investments with no contribution or withdrawal limits, unlike Trump Accounts. But similar to Trump Accounts, beneficiaries of custodial brokerage accounts have full control of the account once the child turns 18, and there are no rules on how they can spend the money.
Choosing an investment account that is better suited for a child’s future depends on each parent’s goals, said Kate Ashford, lead wealth writer at NerdWallet.
“The account that you’re using for savings is really going to depend on why you’re saving money,” Ashford said.
If parents are looking to focus on funding the education of their children, she added, 529 accounts continue to be the most beneficial.
Backers of Trump Accounts say they want to introduce more people to the stock market and give even children born into poverty a chance to benefit from it.
But critics say the accounts also fail to offset the cuts the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have made to other programs that benefit young people and the adults in their lives, including food assistance and Medicaid. And even with government contributions, some warn that the Trump Accounts could widen the wealth gap.
Goldman sees Trump Accounts as a tool to diversify — and notes that at the end of the day, they're another option families can consider when making investments for their children, with solid tax advantages.
Still, affluent families will be more likely to afford the full scope of additional, out-of-pocket investments, Goldman said. A total contribution of $5,000 each year, for instance, would add up to $90,000 for one child over 18 years — and even with starting seed money for some children, or options to make smaller investments, inequities remain.
“It’s designed — especially with this $1,000 seed money — to be ‘an account for everybody,’" Goldman said. “But only some people are gonna be able to take advantage of this. Only some people are going to have that ability to do that."
AP Writer Moriah Balingit contributed. Grantham-Philips reported from Chicago.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
