Right now, I am retired, but I used to be a system engineer for advanced space and military systems.
The answers are probably more banal than you expect. The DoE has long "supported" fusion research under the rubric of being a magical power source---which is a convenient cover for simply doing the research to understand fusion physics and get a better grip on thermonuclear weapon design. Occasionally, they have to announce some "breakthrough" to prompt further congressional support. And the road show keeps on rolling, with no sense of urgency. I was told all this in grad school back in the 70s by those who were working government grants.
It's a great way to hinder the further exploitation of fission power. ("The perfect is the enemy of 'good enough'.") Especially when claims of no radioactive waste and cheap energy are thrown around. Complete prevarications. Some of these claims could be true if we had deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion, but we are as far from that as we were from the present kind decades ago.
Right now, I am retired, but I used to be a system engineer for advanced space and military systems.
The answers are probably more banal than you expect. The DoE has long "supported" fusion research under the rubric of being a magical power source---which is a convenient cover for simply doing the research to understand fusion physics and get a better grip on thermonuclear weapon design. Occasionally, they have to announce some "breakthrough" to prompt further congressional support. And the road show keeps on rolling, with no sense of urgency. I was told all this in grad school back in the 70s by those who were working government grants.
It's a great way to hinder the further exploitation of fission power. ("The perfect is the enemy of 'good enough'.") Especially when claims of no radioactive waste and cheap energy are thrown around. Complete prevarications. Some of these claims could be true if we had deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion, but we are as far from that as we were from the present kind decades ago.