OPCW Executive Council discusses nearly 98 percent destruction of chemical weapons achieved in United States

Members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council attended a meeting in The Hague last week to assess the progress of chemical weapons destruction efforts in the United States as they hone in on completion.

As a matter of demilitarization transparency, the meeting was hosted virtually by the U.S. itself, though held at OPCW headquarters in The Hague. U.S. efforts are presently focused on the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) in Richmond, Kentucky, with 97.65 percent of all Category 1 chemical weapons possessed by the U.S. believed destroyed at this point. All Category 2 and 3 chemical weapons have already been eliminated.

Only two declared chemical weapons stockpiles remain worldwide, both in the U.S. Destruction and verification of such has been ongoing there, with OPCW oversight. The OPCW, formed in 1997, consists of 193 Member States with the sole mission of eliminating chemical weapons permanently.

During this event, American officials summarized their chemical weapons destruction efforts and detailed progress at the BGCAPP, where the focus has been on nerve agent-filled munitions. Attendees heard about and discussed the measures taken to accelerate destruction and the technologies used for destruction, as well as, the approaches undertaken to guarantee the health and safety of workers, the environment, and surrounding communities.