Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, recently visited the Blue Grass plant to monitor the progress workers are making destroying components of chemical weapons.
“This takes the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty process a step further, showing the United States remains committed to the treaty and to making the world a safer place,” said Gary Valenzuela, National Escort Division, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. “The chemical weapons have been destroyed, but the treaty commitment goes beyond that to verify destruction of chemical component wastes.”
The team of four inspectors, one each from Russia, Sweden, Japan and Belgium, watched the destruction of drained, containerized rocket warheads, or CRWs, on closed-circuit cameras in the two Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber units; inspected storage igloos containing skids of those warheads and rocket motors; and reviewed destruction documentation.
The OPCW, which oversees efforts to permanently eliminate chemical weapons around the globe, is the implementing organization that ensures compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the international treaty among 193 States-Parties.
During destruction operations, OPCW inspectors were stationed at the Blue Grass plant full time. After Blue Grass workers drained the last rocket warhead containing GB nerve agent in July 2023, OPCW inspectors verified the destruction of what were the last declared chemical weapons in the U.S. and the world. That, along with approvals from Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, cleared the way for closure operations to begin in the main plant.
During closure, treaty inspectors monitor quarterly the destruction of the CRWs and rocket motors with end caps. The OPCW classifies these items as Chemical Weapon Component Waste.
“These inspections let the rest of the world know someone still is monitoring to verify the integrity of the process and that the United States continues to be transparent and is doing it right,” Valenzuela said. “The inspectors take great pride in that.”
The inspections will continue until the last components are destroyed, which is expected to be in spring 2025. The inspectors will then prepare their final report to the OPCW.
