Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program
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The Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program is a Department of Energy program to ensure that the nuclear capabilities of the United States are not eroded as nuclear weapons age. It receives approximately $4 billion annually in federal funds for testing of nuclear weapons and for construction of advanced science facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Such facilities have been deemed necessary under the program due to the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996 by Bill Clinton.
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[edit] Criticisms
The continued presence of a nuclear arsenal of any kind is criticised by those pushing for nuclear disarmament, and the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program is an integral part of the United States' nuclear readiness. Also, the allocation of funds has been seen by some to be inefficient, whereas the NIF has a large price tag but is not likely to contribute substantially to the maintenance of the US nuclear arsenal.
