The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced the successful elimination of the nation's entire stockpile of obsolete chemical weapons. This significant milestone fulfills the nation's commitment to eliminate declared chemical weapons.
"We have a national security imperative and moral obligation to work toward eliminating the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction," said Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante, according to a July 7 news release. "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.
According to the release, U.S. officials proudly announced that the destruction of the nation's obsolete stockpile of chemical weapons has been successfully completed, marking a significant disarmament milestone. The achievement fulfills the United States' commitment to eliminate its declared chemical weapon stockpiles by September 30, 2023, as mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The final munition, a sarin nerve agent-filled M55 rocket, was safely destroyed on July 7 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, according to the release. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth expressed her pride in the achievement, saying, "After years of design, construction, testing and operations, these obsolete weapons have been safely eliminated. The Army is proud to have played a key role in making this demilitarization possible."
The destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile began in 1990 at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific and continued at six other sites across the continental U.S. By 2012, more than 30,000 tons of chemical warfare agents in explosively configured weapons and bulk containers had been destroyed, according to the release. Alternative technologies were also developed and implemented to destroy the remaining stockpiles stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky.
The release said the next phase will involve closure activities, including the disposal of secondary wastes, decontamination and decommissioning of facilities, property disposition, demolition of some structures, and contract and environmental permit close-outs. Michael S. Abaie, DoD's Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program Executive Officer, assured that safety remains the top priority during the closure phase, which is expected to last three to four years.
