By Will Thomas, Strategic Materials Advisory Council

The high security measures surrounding the United States’ nuclear weapons inventory have long inspired mystery and allure.  Some have recently suggested that the Department of Energy may serve as a cover for significant spending on nuclear weapons programs, but this misperception can be resolved by investigating the Department’s budget from to the present.

In, Congress provided over $27 billion to the Department of Energy through the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, subsequently extended through FY2013 via a continuing resolution. This appropriations bill clearly notes that 27.7% of the DOE budget is used for nuclear weapons activities.

However ominous “weapons activities” might sound, the DOE office receiving this funding, the National Nuclear Security Administration has the limited mission “to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile to meet national security requirements”. None of these activities include the production of warheads, delivery systems, or similar items. On the other hand, the DOE has several other nuclear programs that are unrelated to weapons: basic scientific research (17.9%), U.S. Navy nuclear reactors (4.0%), and environmental cleanup (18.4%). Further examination of the budget requests by the President for the DOE also show that these activities are not related to weapons.

The mission of the Department of Energy and the language of its budget make it a target for misperception, confusions and even conspiracy theories. However, a closer review reveals a more mundane but logical explanation for DOE activities.