Last VX Destroyed At Anniston Depot

The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency reports that the last land mine containing the nerve agent VX was destroyed on Dec. 24, 2008, at the Anniston Chemical Agency Disposal Facility, in Anniston, Ala. Over the past five years, Anniston has destroyed 293,003 gal of nerve agents, both VX and sarin, that were stored at the facility. All that remains at Anniston are projectiles and containers holding mustard agent; an equipment changeover will be required before destruction of these munitions can begin. The only remaining nerve agent stockpiles in the U.S. are at the Army's Blue Grass Chemical Activity near Richmond, Ky., and at a storage facility near Pueblo, Colo. A facility to neutralize the nerve agent is under construction at the Kentucky site. The Army reports that chemical destruction operations continue at four sites: Tooele, Utah; Umatilla, Ore.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; and Anniston. Elimination of chemical weapons is complete at facilities in Newport, Ind.; Aberdeen, Md.; and Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.