In a momentous conclusion to a decades-long operation, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday that the United States has successfully destroyed its remaining stockpile of chemical weapons.
This achievement signifies the end of a significant era in the country’s military history, during which chemical weapons such as the deadly sarin nerve agent stored within old rockets were stockpiled in munitions plants across the nation.
These terrifying weapons of war, which were extensively utilized during World War I and subsequently disseminated globally despite their gruesome effects, were once amassed to a staggering total of 30,000 tons in U.S. ammunition depots.
“Since ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, through last Friday, the United States destroyed over 30,000 metric tons of declared chemical agent contained in nearly three and a half million chemical munitions, over 22,500,110, one-ton containers containing chemical agent, and over 55,500 bottles and containers containing chemical agent,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Kingston Reif.
The deputy assistant secretary shed light on the monumental task of dismantling them.
“These weapons were not designed to be taken apart,” Reif explained. “They had to be painstakingly disassembled in reverse. They were designed to detonate on the battlefield and inflict horrendous suffering on their victims, a terrible legacy of the post-World War II and early Cold War era.”
Chemical weapons are meticulously designed to cause extreme damage, capable of producing effects like burning, choking, and nervous system destruction.
The immense devastation caused by these weapons was evident during World War I, when they claimed the lives of nearly 100,000 people, The Washington Post reports.
Since then, these weapons have caused countless casualties worldwide.
The path to this significant achievement began in 1986 when the U.S. Congress mandated the destruction of all chemical weapons.
The U.S. further committed to this cause by joining the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997, a global agreement involving 192 nations that prohibits the production and storage of these deadly weapons.
The convention set a deadline of September 30 for the obliteration of these weapons, WaPo explains.
By fulfilling this obligation, the U.S. has become the final participating nation to eliminate its chemical weapons stockpile.
The lengthy and intricate process of neutralizing these weapons presented several challenges.
Given the volatile nature of the munitions, which combined explosives and chemical agents, stability became a primary concern over time.
As per the Pentagon, legislative directives mandated the Defense Department to devise methods for the safe disposal of the weapons and agents that did not involve incineration.
The complex procedure, referred to partially as “biotreatment,” took place at two key locations: the U.S. Army’s Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky.
“With complete destruction of the U.S. stockpile, the United States is proud once again to reiterate its continued commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention,” said Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart.
“Not only has the United States completed destruction in accordance with its obligations, but we have also contributed to the chemical weapons stockpile destruction of other states’ parties as we worked and continue to work to achieve a world free of chemical weapons threats.”
