Chemical Weapons Arsenal Is Nearing Elimination

The U.S. has destroyed 80% of its chemical weapons stockpile. The Army’s Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) says it has incinerated or chemically neutralized 24,488 tons of chemical agents and eliminated more than 2.1 million munitions stored at seven installations. In 1997, the U.S. ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty that prohibits the development, production, and use of such materials and requires member nations to destroy existing stockpiles. “This is another positive step in meeting the treaty and our commitment to the American people to safely dispose of the stockpile of chemical weapons,” says CMA Director Conrad Whyne. The U.S. is on pace to reach the 90% milestone by April 2012, according to the agency. Neutralization sites operated by CMA in Aberdeen, Md., and Newport, Ind., as well as the incineration site at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, have destroyed their chemical warfare materiel stockpiles and are closed. The agency’s four remaining sites in Anniston, Ala.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Tooele, Utah; and Umatilla, Ore., continue to destroy mustard and other blister agents.