The United States Department of Defense recently announced that its chemical weapons stockpile has been destroyed. According to a press release on July 7, the final sarin nerve agent filled M55 rocket was safely destroyed at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky which completed the milestone of eliminating the "obsolete" chemical weapons cache.
"The United States has successfully completed destruction of our chemical weapons stockpile, marking a major step forward under the Chemical Weapons Convention," tweeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
According to the release, this is part of the destruction initiative as part of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. This is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was an international arms control treaty ratified by the U.S. in 1997. The treaty prohibits aspects like developing producing, acquiring, stockpiling, retaining, transferring and using chemical weapons. The U.S. committed to destroying these weapons by Sept. 30 of this year.
The release noted that the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile originally had 30,000 tons of chemical warfare agents. Destruction has been ongoing since 1990 on the Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Destruction efforts extended to six other sites across the continental U.S. including in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon and Utah. The destruction has been carried out by the U.S. Army as part of eradicating all chemical weapons stockpiles.
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Dr. William A. LaPlante emphasized the national security imperative and moral obligation to eliminate the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction. He said that this achievement strengthens the nation's commitment to a world free of chemical weapons, as well as representing the first time an international body has verified the destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction.
"We have a national security imperative and moral obligation to work toward eliminating the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction," said LaPlante. "This is the first time an international body has verified destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction — reinforcing the United States' commitment to creating a world free of chemical weapons."
The press release stated that the facilities are now entering a closure phase for the next three to four years. This involves disposing of secondary wastes, decontamination and decommissioning of facilities and equipment, disposition of property, demolition of some facilities and closing out contracts and environmental permits. The destruction completion is thanks to the dedication of the chemical weapons workforce, the release stated.
"This is a momentous day for the U.S. chemical demilitarization program," said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth. "After years of design, construction, testing, and operations, these obsolete weapons have been safely eliminated."
