I am speechless. Note that the prototype is named T4 which could means it is the fourth one.

Whenever I see the words 'Skunk Works', I immediately think 'Sirius Disclosure Project.' So,with that very much in mind, I think this project could do with being the subject of the same level of government support that a LFTR (thorium) programme should be, i.e. 'intense' support. If I am right in my suspicions, it is guaranteed to be a success.
It is difficult not to agree with the Our Finite World blog of Gail Tverberg, a highly regarded actuary who specialises in oil supply and associated matters. Especially so the way things are currently unfolding globally. Perhaps we can see this particular fusion project as the cavalry coming over the hill just in the nick of time. Let's hope so.
Now all we need is a way of sensibly electrifying transport and agricultural machinery. How about it, Skunk Works? Have you got any other secrets hidden somewhere that could solve the problem?

The promise of fusion power still 20 years away.

Fusion from an open source environment (at least more so than the likes of Lockheed Martin) is the better bet. The monetized version from a military establishment is the interest of nobody. It is all good... there are more than two in the world getting this done... and Lockheed will have some niche on the military side, but this revolutionary power source is for the world, not for Lockheed shareholders to pick pockets with.

to the critical minded observer, this project description and NONE of the articles released in the barrage of news about this skunkworks project in the last few weeks, and (since last year) describe ANY OF THE DRAWBACKS OR STUMBLING BLOCKS, of using a cylinder geometry with end effects and injection complexities.
they are containing a static plasma in a ball without moving it? there are so few details about this project why bother announcing it? why not just DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS WORKING?
most likely, because it doesn't work.......at all.

Just because this is coming out of Lockheed does not mean it is strictly militarized. The Skunk Works has long been involved in space flight and while power generation and the environment are the most compelling uses of fusion power, a reasonably-sized fusion rocket motor would be a godsend to NASA.
The way that the Skunk Works is different is that it is given a problem and allowed to think completely outside the box with the financial backing to really accomplish something new and original..
And a demonstrator device is different that a pilot project. In a pilot project, only the proof of concept would have to be made to be called successful. This is usually, but not always, done to attract funding. Think of it as a working model. The next step is a demonstrator. The demonstrator must be able to generate significantly more fusion power than it requires to run and be scalable. Next comes the prototype. This one will have to generate commercial quantities of commercially viable power. Then from on it is P+1, P+2, etc as the design is improved as newer units go into production.

Did nobody else catch the names of the fuels for this reactor? Deuterium and Tritium? I desperately want to believe the article but the fact that it's using the same materials as the Enterprise-D warp engine from Star Trek leaves me more than a little skeptical.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Deuterium

I've partly powered my house with fusion energy for ten years. It's called solar photovoltaic cells for electricity, and solar thermal for hot water. Adding to the system annually and improving my house all the time, and I will be passing 100% (and selling to the grid) within ten years.
No complex machine. No high priest caste needed to run it. Free for life, will even *make* money for me (eventually).

I hope we as a civilization can, soon enough, glom onto fusion and kick fission into the historical trash can.

I could not care less about whining & wingeing about how this demonstrator is not road ready right now so obviously this is a bad idea, etc. Pinheads whined about the early telegraph, then the early telephone, also this electric power stuff, etc. All are things that worked pretty well I think! Maybe this will mature in time to strap onto Miguel Alcubierre's theorized warp drive if it turns out to be buildable? Can negative energy be derived from a fusion plasma?