There is a small component of nuclear energy in DOE, and an even smaller component of alternatives and fossil fuel ( DOE FY2013 budget) but most of this is for basic scientific research.
It has agreed to host the radar component of a proposed NATO nuclear missile defence shield, a project that is aimed mainly at Iran, with which Turkey has a tricky relationship.
Cartwright has described that system, now entering its second study phase, as a key component in transforming the aging Cold War nuclear weapons stockpile.
By the same token the thirty-year hiatus in construction of new nuclear plants following Three Mile Island limited another important component of our energy mix and reduced our current options.
As long as we must rely upon nuclear weapons, it is imprudent and irresponsible to undermine the various component parts of the infrastructure that permit such weapons to be effective, reliable and safe.