The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, or BGCAPP, safely destroyed a stockpile of chemical weapons previously stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot. Utilizing neutralization, the main plant destroyed munitions containing nerve agent. After the neutralization of the nerve agent, the resulting product, called hydrolysate, was shipped to an off-site treatment, storage and disposal facility for processing. As part of the rocket campaign, the Rocket Warhead Containerization System securely packaged drained rocket warheads. Non-contaminated motors removed from the rockets as part of the destruction process were destroyed in the Anniston, Alabama, Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) unit, an explosive destruction technology (EDT).

Additionally, an SDC augmented BGCAPP’s neutralization technology to destroy 15,492 155mm mustard projectiles from the Blue Grass stockpile, many of which were found unsuitable for processing through the main plant. The original SDC unit, upgraded to destroy nerve agent and now called the SDC 1200, is destroying secondary waste such as containerized, drained rocket warheads that contain residual amounts of VX nerve agent. The system began these operations Oct. 25, 2023. A new, larger SDC unit, called the SDC 2000, also was placed at BGCAPP and began operations Jan. 27, 2023. This unit destroyed containerized, drained and undrained rocket warheads, overpacked M55 rockets and M55 rockets that were unsuitable for processing in the main plant but not overpacked. It continues to destroy secondary waste such as containerized, drained rocket warheads that contain residual amounts of GB nerve agent.

In 2003, the Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass Team was awarded the systems contract to facilitate the pilot plant through all the project stages — design, construction, systemization, operations and closure. Destruction operations were completed in the main plant July 7, 2023.

The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, known as PEO ACWA, was the Department of Defense agency responsible for managing the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile. Now, PEO ACWA is responsible for managing the closure of the Blue Grass plant and oversees the Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass contract.