News

VX ROCKET DISPOSAL OPERATIONS COMPLETED AT PB ARSENAL

Friday, February 29, 2008 10:59 PM CST

SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL

The final VX nerve-agent filled rocket was destroyed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal Friday, officials reported.

The VX rocket inventory consisted of 19,608 munitions, approximately 196,000 pounds of liquid agent.

"With the end of VX rocket processing, the entire rocket stockpile has been eliminated at the arsenal," said Mark Greer, site project manager at the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. "This is a significant accomplishment for all the dedicated men and women working on the chemical weapons disposal project."

Destruction of the VX stockpile began Oct. 11 when the Pine Bluff Chemical Activity transported the first enhanced onsite containers carrying the rockets to the disposal facility. The first VX rocket was eliminated Oct. 13.

"With both the GB and VX rockets destroyed, the risk to the community has been reduced by 97 percent," said Lt. Col. Clifton Johnston, commander of the chemical activity at the arsenal.

On Feb. 23, workers at the chemical activity transported the last enhanced onsite containers carrying VX-filled rockets to the disposal facility.

The next munitions slated for disposal are the VX landmines; the process should last approximately four months. In the months before disposal begins on the landmines, the facility will be in an outage for personnel training and facility maintenance.

"Our employees worked hard to safely attain this milestone which greatly eliminated the risk to the community and environment," said David Reber, project general manager for Washington Defense Group, EG&G Division of the URS Corporation, which built and operates the plant for the Army. "We will continue our disposal operation in the same safe and deliberate manner."

Following completion of VX landmine disposal operations, there will be a changeover period during which the facility will be prepared for and personnel will be trained in mustard ton container disposal operations. This will be the last disposal campaign at the disposal facility.

Before chemical weapons disposal operations began, the arsenal stored 3,850 tons of chemical agent or 12 percent of the Army’s original chemical weapons stockpile for more than 60 years.

The military began destroying the weapons in March 2005 in accordance with an international treaty.