Safely Destroying Americas Chemical Weapons PDF Download

On April 29, 1997, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, known as the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), entered into force. At that time, the United States and 86 other nations became the first countries to sign and ratify the CWC. In doing so, the United States agreed to destroy all their chemical weapons and former chemical weapons production facilities and to abide by prohibitions from development, use, production and acquisition of chemical weapons. Today, more than 170 nations have ratified the CWC. Since entry into force of the CWC, the United States has destroyed more than 1.4 million munitions and more than 10,000 metric tons of chemical agent, representing more than 35 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile. The United States has also destroyed all of its unfilled munitions and binary projectiles and 12 of 14 former chemical weapons production facilities in compliance with CWC deadlines. The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) is responsible for safely destroying the majority of the remaining U.S. chemical weapons and related materials that are the legacy of our nation's past chemical weapons production. Additional responsibility for destroying U.S. chemical weapons stored at Army installations in Kentucky and Colorado falls under the U.S. Department of Defense s Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program. Achievements.