INCHING AWAY FROM ARMAGEDDON: DESTROYING THE U.S.

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MB

CHEMICAL WEAPONS STOCKPILE

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stron

1203

ID

Henry L. Stimson Center

2004

rok

INTRODUCTION

On 3 September 2003, the Department of Defense issued a press release noting that the United

States (US) would be unable to meet the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) deadline for the

destruction of 45 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile by 27 April 2004.1 This announcement

also indirectly confirmed that the United States will be unable to meet the CWC’s deadline for

destroying its entire stockpile by 27 April 2007. The treaty allows for a five-year extension of this

final deadline, which the United States will likely need to request as that date draws closer.

Chemical weapons destruction is the exception to the old adage that it is easier to destroy than to

create. While some of the toxic agents are stored in bulk containers that must be emptied, their

contents neutralized, and the contaminated containers destroyed, more remain in weaponized form

(inside rockets, bombs, landmines, and other armaments) in storage igloos at six sites in the US.

Maintaining safety, therefore, must be the priority for the destruction process.

Assuring citizens of the communities near to the facilities that every effort is being made to

minimize risks to their safety and working with these communities to develop sound emergency

response plans are connected but separate tasks. Indeed, many citizens, alarmed by the possible

damage an accidental release during destruction could cause to their communities, have mounted

extensive efforts to address their concerns. Lawsuits over safety measures delayed the

operational testing of the Anniston, Alabama facility, while investigation of an accidental leak that

exposed a worker to an agent at Tooele, Utah caused its facility to cease operation for several

months.