The problem with civilian nuclear power has been a lack of standardization - How true that is... or at least was! This is basically due to improvments learned along the way. However, current designs are now standardized with all of the bugs worked out. Two of these designs are approved by the NRC (Westinghouse AP 600, AP1000). Two more are under consideration (GE, Advanced BWR's). The advancements that have been made over the earlier 1960's designs are impressive. For example these 4 designs incorporate safety features that make them statistically safer than existing reactors by a factor of 10!
This of course was also true with the US navy too. Just look at the Enterprise! However, they also saw the advantages of standardization.
Civilian plants do not certify operators, test engineers, etc. the same way. (Thank you Admiral Rickover). The civilian world should take a page out of the military in this case, and run the plants in the same manner. Our Reactor Operator programs entail full time Classroom/Simulator instruction for 22 months! Then after passing a battery of tests they receive a license from the NRC. Then they begin a another qualification process that lasts an additional 18 months. 90% of our Licensed Operators are ex navy nukes. The license program for civilian is at least, if not more robust than the Navy's. There is much more oversight and the performance incentive/penalty scheme creates a very high standard. 3 of 3 ex navy operators who I just polled contend that the civilian program is at least as robust for intial training, and more robust for ongoing training and operations. So take that you slimy squid !! (their comments not mine) :)