The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) destroyed the chemical weapons stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) near Richmond, Kentucky. After destroying the chemical weapons stockpile, BGCAPP is now in the closure phase, which is expected to last into 2027. The depot safely stored three types of chemical weapons from the 1940s until 2023, when destruction of the stockpile was completed.

The original stockpile consisted of projectiles containing mustard agent and projectiles and rockets containing nerve agents GB and VX. Starting with the destruction of the first munitions on June 7, 2019, the workforce destroyed 523.4 tons of chemical weapons and completed the destruction of the last munition in the U.S. stockpile July 7, 2023.

The main plant used neutralization to destroy munitions containing nerve agent. A Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) augmented BGCAPP’s neutralization technology to destroy mustard projectiles, many of which were found unsuitable for processing through the main plant.

As part of the closure process, workers used the SDC 1200 and SDC 2000 to process containerized rocket warheads (CRW) containing residual amounts of nerve agent, which were classified as secondary waste. The last CRW was processed Sept. 11, 2025, in the SDC 1200.

BGCAPP is being closed in a safe, environmentally compliant manner in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and requirements, and under a closure plan approved by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection in September 2023. Closure involves five major factors: decontamination, decommissioning, dispositioning, demolition and administrative closeout.

As it did for decades, after BGCAPP’s closure, BGAD will continue its long-standing mission of supporting the nation’s warfighters.

Notes for the Media

• If you wish to credit this footage, please use the following citation: Video footage courtesy of the U.S. Army.
• Portions of these videos have been blurred in accordance with Department of Defense standards.

Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) Closure – April 2025-Present

• (0:00-0:57)
  Technicians wearing protective gear place drained, containerized rocket warheads (CRW) containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent into boxes on a conveyor to be moved into the detonation chamber in the Static Detonation Chamber 2000. The CRWs are classified as secondary waste and are being destroyed in the plant’s closure phase.
• (0:57-2:25)
  A robotic arm moves a drained, containerized rocket warhead containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent from a pallet to a box on a conveyor system to be delivered to the detonation chamber for destruction in the Static Detonation Chamber 1200.
• (2:25-3:55)
  A guide leads a forklift driver moving drained, containerized rocket warheads (CRWs) from a truck into a storage magazine at the Static Detonation Chamber 1200, where the CRWs will be destroyed. The pallets of CRWs are sealed in plastic for monitoring purposes.
• (3:55-4:30)
  Waste management technicians load sealed containers of hazardous and non-hazardous waste onto trucks for safe transport for disposal at a permitted treatment, storage and disposal facility.
• (4:30-5:31)
  Entrants wearing protective gear and masks dismantle a conveyor and move waste material in sealed drums and large waste sacks containing downsized materials as part of the decommissioning and decontamination of the Munitions Demilitarization Building (MDB) during closure. Entrants always work in pairs so one can monitor the other for safety.

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BGCAPP Aerial Photo: