People - Program Executive Office Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative

Advisory Groups Remember Long-time Chair

Members of the Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission and Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board paused during their Sept. 6 public meeting to remember one of their own.

Shannon Pendergrass, site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

New Site Project Manager Takes Over at Blue Grass

The Blue Grass plant has a new site project manager.

Dr. Candace Coyle, former site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, poses for a picture during an inspection on July 5, 2023, to ensure all chemical weapons had been removed from the storage igloos prior to the destruction of the last chemical weapon on July 7, 2023.

Coyle Reflects on the ‘Job You Never Knew You Wanted’

When she assumed the position as the Blue Grass plant site project manager in May 2019, Dr. Candace Coyle says she was told something she did not grasp at the time. As she departs for a new challenge, she says she understands now.

The Blue Grass total workforce planning manager looks at a website set up for Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant workers to get job assistance and planning information. This is one of the resources provided to help workers plan for the future after their jobs at the plant have come to an end.

Blue Grass Workers Get Help Focusing on Future

While the emphasis remains on completing the mission of destroying the chemical weapons stockpile, workers are getting help planning their futures as closure begins to take shape at the Blue Grass plant.

Blue Grass Welcomes New Commanders

The Blue Grass Army Depot and Blue Grass Chemical Activity conducted change-of-command ceremonies in July and June, respectively. Col. Brett A. Ayvazian assumed command of the Blue Grass Army Depot, or BGAD, from Col. Stephen D. Dorris in a ceremony July 12. The depot, established in 1941, primarily provides industrial services and activities associated with the storage …

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Doug Bush, right, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, and Michael Abaie, program executive officer, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, left, listen as a representative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers points out areas of the Static Detonation Chamber 2000 facility during a visit to the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant June 29.

Army Official: Work at Blue Grass Plant a ‘Success’

A senior U.S. Army official spoke positively about the Blue Grass plant during his visit June 29. “It’s a success for our country,” said Doug Bush, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), reaffirming the nation’s commitment to meeting the September 2023 deadline for destroying the last of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile. …

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The official party sits on stage during introductions provided by the facilitator for the Elimination of All VX Nerve Agent Weapons in the U.S. Stockpile event in Richmond, Kentucky, June 8.

Kentucky Event Highlights End of VX Weapons in U.S.

Government officials, project personnel and citizens gathered in Richmond, Kentucky, to recognize the elimination of all VX nerve agent weapons in the U.S. stockpile June 8.

An operator guides the removal of the last two pallets of VX M55 rockets from a protective transport container within the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant April 15. An event marking the elimination of VX nerve agent weapons from the U.S. stockpile will be held June 8 in Richmond, Kentucky.

Special Event for Chemical Weapons Destruction Followed by Public Meeting June 8

The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) will hold a public event recognizing the destruction of all VX nerve agent weapons in the U.S. stockpile on Wednesday, June 8, at 1 p.m. EDT in Rooms A-D on the lobby level at Eastern Kentucky University’s (EKU) Carl D. Perkins Building located on Kit Carson Drive in Richmond, Kentucky.