Pentagon Needs Deadline Extension for Chemical Weapons Disposal

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2003 (ENS) - Pentagon officials have asked international regulators for an extension of the deadline for destroying the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile.

The United States is unable to meet the April 29, 2004 intermediate deadline for destruction of 45 percent of Category 1 chemical weapons - the highest risk category - due to unforseen complications, a top official in charge of the program said Tuesday.

Stressing that the United States is committed to meeting its Chemical Weapons Convention obligations, Patrick Wakefield, deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for chemical demilitarization and threat reduction, said that the delay is necessary.

"The original authors of the treaty could not have foreseen the complications that this nation had to face," Wakefield said.

He cited changing environmental laws and technology issues, as well as addressing the concerns of elected officials and the public, as being among the obstacles.

Pentagon officials have asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Executive Council to grant an extension to December 31, 2007 for destroying the 45 percent of Category 1 chemical weapons.

This will push back the overall April 29, 2007, deadline for 100 percent destruction, Wakefield said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention allows for one deadline extension of up to five years, provided its executive council receives the request by April 2006. The five year extension would push back the overall deadline to 2012, the latest date the treaty allows.

The U.S. Army’s Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization, the office that conducts U.S. chemical weapons destruction activities has plans for nine facilities that will be needed for the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile.

The weapons include VX, GB, and mustard blister agents. The weapons, the projectiles that would have carried them had they been used, and the packing materials surrounding them are all being incinerated.

Chemical weapons awaiting incineration on Johnston Atoll (Photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control (CDC))

Four others are either operational, undergoing startup testing or are under construction. Currently, destruction operations are ongoing in Tooele, Utah; Anniston, Alabama; and Aberdeen, Maryland.

Operations are scheduled to begin within the next few years in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Newport, Indiana; Umatilla, Oregon; Pueblo, Colorado; and Blue Grass, Kentucky.

Part of the delay that has pushed back the deadline, Wakefield said, is due to two incidents at the Tooele, Utah facility that temporarily shut down operations.

On May 8, 2000, a small amount of chemical agent escaped into the environment, and the facility was shut down until September 2000. On July 15, 2002, a worker was exposed to a low level of chemical agent. The facility ceased operations until March 2003.

These incidents prompted a number of investigations, said Wakefield. The result was a safety improvement plan that included rewriting procedures as well as retraining and retesting workers.

"Safety is paramount," he emphasized. "And I'm delighted to report that [the injured worker] has recovered and gone back to work."

The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Utah became operational in 1996. (Photo courtesy CDC)

At Anniston, Alabama incineration of the stockpile of chemical weapons began on August 9 after a U.S. District Court judge denied the petition of residents for a halt to the destruction.

The Army is limiting its destruction of gelled GB agent to weekends and nights in consideration of nearby schools and community facilities. Some residents have been issued gas masks in case of leaks.

Timothy Garrett, the Army’s manager at the Anniston facility said, “My colleagues and I live in Anniston and neighboring communities. I grew up nearby and look forward to my daughter growing up and staying in the area. All of us will operate this facility knowing the safety of our families and all Anniston area residents, as well as the protection of our environment, depend on everything we do.”

Wakefield said some people have worked their entire careers toward the destruction of these weapons.

"This is an extremely important program," said Wakefield. "Men and women in uniform, the civilian work force and contractors - all have paid extraordinary prices personally and professionally to see to this job being done. They're doing a good job, but it's a tough job."

The urgency to get these aging chemical weapons destroyed is illustrated by an incident September 30 in Utah. Mustard agent was detected during routine monitoring operations in a storage igloo at Deseret Chemical Depot. Crews in protective clothing entered the filtered igloo, and discovered two leaking 155 mm projectiles. About one cup of mustard leaked from the munitions.

Crews decontaminated the affected areas and over-packed the leaking projectiles into airtight containers for continued storage. The Army said there was "no danger to the environment."

This Kentucky National Guard Unit was honored by the 2002 State Assembly for their efforts to maintain the security of the Blue Grass Army Depot. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)

"Their efforts are extremely important," he added. "It's tough. They're there on a 24-7 basis. They're away from their homes, and not at the world's greatest sites. These facilities don't have a full infrastructure that you would find on an installation. We certainly recognize the sacrifices they're making and want to return them to their units as soon as possible."

The United States has met previous deadlines ahead of schedule. But as of July 24, approximately 23 percent of the chemical weapons stockpile had been destroyed, a percentage that has not changed since November 2001.

As early as 2001, a group within the U.S. Army’s Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization, the office that conducts U.S. chemical weapons destruction activities, estimated that destruction operations could extend to 2013 at the facility to be built at Pueblo, Colorado and to 2016 at the planned Blue Grass, Kentucky facility - well past the 2012 Chemical Weapons Convention extension deadline.