International inspectors verified destruction of all chemical weapon component waste at the Blue Grass plant according to documents signed Oct. 21, confirming no remnants of chemical agents remain at the plant, and therefore in the United States.
“This signifies the culmination of around-the-clock work and technical advancements to safely destroy the remaining drained and containerized rocket warhead component waste from America’s chemical weapons stockpile,” said Robert Gilpin, host team leader, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. “This inspection brings about the end of the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty verification activities for the Blue Grass plant site.”
From Oct. 14 to 21, a four-person Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, team reviewed hundreds of pages of inspection reports and conducted detailed inspections of the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, units, and the 45 igloos where chemical weapons and the chemical weapon component waste were stored. That work led to the signing of the inspection report confirming the absence of chemical weapon component waste at the Blue Grass Chemical-Agent Destruction Pilot Plant, or BGCAPP. Destruction of drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of nerve agent was completed in the Blue Grass SDCs Sept. 11, 2025.
Starting in 2018, OPCW inspectors were stationed at the Blue Grass plant full-time for systemization verification. When Blue Grass workers drained the last rocket warhead containing GB nerve agent July 7, 2023, OPCW inspectors verified the destruction of what were the last declared chemical weapons in the U.S., and therefore, the world.
Following the completion of chemical weapons destruction, OPCW quarterly verification visits took effect, beginning Jan. 7, 2024. These visits focused on monitoring the destruction of the remaining chemical weapon component waste by the Blue Grass team.
“It has been – and will always be – about people,” said the OPCW inspection team leader. “People from diverse backgrounds and countries coming together with one shared purpose: to make our world free from chemical weapons.”
“Watching the inspectors sign the documents was pretty special,” said Shannon Pendergrass, site project manager, BGCAPP. “It’s the end of a long and historic mission and a tribute to the thousands of people who have worked on the project during the years.”
The OPCW is the implementing organization that ensures compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, one of the most successful international treaties among the majority of countries in the world. The OPCW verified plant design and systemization to ensure BGCAPP could safely and efficiently destroy chemical weapons prior to the start of operations.
