Milestones in U.S. Chemical Weapons Storage and Destruction With more than 2,600 dedicated employees plus contractor support staff, the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) leads the world in chemical weapons destruction with a demonstrated history of safely storing, recovering, assessing and disposing of U.S. chemical weapons and related materials. CMA manages all U.S. chemical materiel except for the disposal of two weapons stockpiles that fall under the Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Element Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives pilot neutralization program. Through its Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, CMA works with local emergency preparedness and response agencies at weapons stockpile locations. 1960-1982 1960s and before 1971 1979 The United States begins stockpiling and The United States finishes transferring The Army constructs and begins using chemical weapons against Germany chemical munitions from Okinawa, Japan, operating the Chemical Agent in World War I, which lasts from 1914 to to Johnston Island, located about 800 Munitions Disposal System (CAMDS), 1918. The weapons are securely stored miles from Hawaii, in September of 1971. a pilot incineration facility located at U.S. military installations at home at what is now the Deseret Chemical and abroad. 1972 Depot (DCD), Utah. The Army tests disposal equipment and processes The Edgewood Arsenal, Md., produces The Army forms the U.S. Army Materiel at the plant. More than 91 tons of mustard and phosgene but the Arsenal Command’s Program Manager for chemical agent are safely destroyed. is not large enough to store the agent Demilitarization of Chemical Materiel, and new installations are constructed in headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala., Denver, Colo., Pine Bluff, near Dover, NJ. Ark., and Tooele, Utah. The Army develops environmentally sound After World War II ends in 1945, the chemical weapons disposal methods using United States produces nerve agents GB at incineration and chemical neutralization. Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver, and Project Eagle incinerates six million VX in Newport, Ind. pounds of mustard agent and neutralizes eight million pounds of nerve agent GB Pilot incineration facility in Utah During the 1960s, the U.S. Army destroys (sarin) at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colo., chemical weapons using ocean dumping, between 1972 and 1976. 1982 open-pit burning and land burial. In The United States starts construction 1969, the National Academy of Sciences 1973 of the Integrated Binary Production recommends that ocean dumping The organization relocates to the Facility at Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA), Ark. be avoided. Edgewood Arsenal, now known Binary chemical weapons were designed In the late 1960s President Nixon halts as, Edgewood Area of Aberdeen to mix two non-lethal chemicals in the production of chemical weapons. Proving Ground (APG), Md. flight to a target to form nerve agent. The binary weapons program leads to 1975 chemical weapons elimination talks Organizational name is changed to between the United States and the Department of the Army Project Soviet Union later in the decade. Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration. 1978 Organizational name is changed Stored chemical weapons to U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency (USATHAMA). Pine Bluff Integrated Binary Production Facility CMA_Milestones_07_11.indd OVER Milestones in U.S. Chemical Weapons Storage and Destruction (continued) 1985-1992 1985 1989 1991 Construction on a demilitarization Organizational name is changed to Congress expands its chemical weapons facility begins on Johnston Island Program Executive Officer-Program destruction directive to include the in the Pacific Ocean. Construction Manager for Chemical Demilitarization. disposal of non-stockpile materiel — is complete in 1987. items that are not part of the unitary Construction begins on Tooele chemical weapons stockpile. Chemical Agent Disposal Facility 1986 (TOCDF) at DCD, Utah. Public Law 99-145 requires the safe 1992 U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and destruction of the U.S. unitary chemical The U.S. Army Chemical Materiel former Soviet Union Foreign Minister weapons stockpile. It also requires disposal Destruction Agency is established Eduard Shevardnadze sign a Memorandum facilities to be cleaned, dismantled and to consolidate responsibility of Understanding (MOU) on chemical disposed of according to applicable laws for the destruction of chemical weapons in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The MOU and regulations. The stockpile is stored materials into one office. at eight military installations within the calls for cooperation and information continental United States – APG, Md., PBA, exchange between the two countries Public Law 102-484 establishes Ark., DCD, Utah, Umatilla Chemical Depot concerning their chemical weapons Citizens’ Advisory Commissions at each (UMCD), Ore., Newport Chemical Depot capabilities. The two countries then continental U.S. stockpile location. The (NECD), Ind., Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), sign an agreement to destroy much of state governor appoints seven members, Ala., Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), Ky., their stockpiles. That agreement spurs with two more members from state Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD), Colo. – and international talks culminating in government agencies responsible for on Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean. the international treaty known as the chemical disposal program oversight. Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). USATHAMA’s chemical weapons management functions are split off to become the Program Manager for Chemical Munitions (Demilitarization and Binary). USATHAMA becomes the U.S. Army Environmental Center. 1988 The Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency establish the U.S. Secretary of State Soviet Union Citizens’ Advisory Commission Chemical Stockpile Emergency James Baker Foreign Minister Preparedness Program (CSEPP) in Eduard Shevardnadze In compliance with Public Law 102-484, response to Public Law 99-145 calling the Army creates the Non-Stockpile for added public protection. Although 1990 Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) the new law reflects a greater awareness The Army’s prototype full-scale disposal to develop systems to safely assess, of the need to be prepared for a possible facility, Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent treat and destroy five categories of chemical accident, the Army’s storage Disposal System (JACADS), begins chemical warfare materiel not part and maintenance of the stockpile has destruction of the stockpile on Johnston of the declared stockpile: binary been and continues to be operated safely. Island. The island’s stockpile accounts chemical warfare materiel, former for more than 6 percent of the nation’s chemical weapons production facilities, original stockpile. miscellaneous chemical warfare materiel, buried chemical warfare materiel and recovered chemical warfare materiel. A CSEPP training exercise First full-scale disposal facility, Johnston Atoll 1988 - 1990 Chemical Agent Disposal System, begins destruction in 1990 The Army destroys BZ agent at PBA, Ark. Chemical weapons from West Germany and a small number of recovered World War II-era chemical weapons from the Solomon Recovered M139 bomblet Islands are shipped to Johnston Island. Organizational name is changed to Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization (PMCD). The United States halts all binary Pine Bluff Arsenal weapons programs in accordance with the American-Soviet MOU. Recovered 4.2-inch mortar Milestones in U.S. Chemical Weapons Storage and Destruction (continued) 1994-2003 1994 Construction begins on the Anniston NSCMP treats 10 sarin-filled bomblets Chemical Agent Disposal Facility recovered at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, The U.S. Army Chemical Materiel (ANCDF) at ANAD, Ala., and on the Colo., using the Explosive Destruction Destruction Agency is renamed to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal System (EDS) for the first time. The U.S. Army Chemical Demilitarization Facility (UMCDF) at UMCD, Ore. EDS is a transportable system designed and Remediation Activity (CDRA) and to provide safe and environmentally placed under the U.S. Army Chemical and secure on-site treatment of chemical Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM). 1999 NSCMP Core Group forms to gain public warfare materiel. The Army establishes the Alternative input on the asssessment and treatment Technologies and Approaches Project to of chemical warfare materiel. investigate alternatives to incineration technology for the safe disposal of bulk Construction begins at Aberdeen chemical agent stockpiles at APG, Md. Chemical Agent Disposal Facility and NECD, Ind. (ABCDF) at APG, Md. NSCMP meets CWC requirement to 1995 destroy two categories of binary CDRA is separated from CBDCOM and weapons components known as renamed PMCD. “excess other components” and “parity other components.” CSEPP is restructured to streamline EDS treating round procedures and enhance operational Construction begins at Pine Bluff responsiveness. Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (PBCDF) at PBA, Ark. 2002 1996 TOCDF completes destruction of all nerve TOCDF at DCD in Utah, with about 2000 agent GB (sarin) stored at DCD, Utah. 44 percent of the nation’s original JACADS completes destruction of its ANCDF completes disposal facility testing. stockpile of nerve and blister chemical weapons stockpile, making it agents, begins destroying chemical the first stockpile facility to complete The Army announces plans to accelerate weapons. Storage and maintenance its mission. JACADS workers