THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON. DC 20301 - 1000

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator McConnell:

I am following up on your letter and our previous discussions concerning the
Department's efforts to dispose of chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army
Depot in Kentucky.

As we discussed, the Department requested funding for the Assembled Chemical
Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program in the amount of. $351.0 million for each of
Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, as reflected in the FY 2008 Revised Budget Estimate
Submission. Based on our conversation, however, I am prepared to recommend that the
FY 2009 President's Budget reflect an addition that brings the budget amount for the
ACWA program to around $400 million.

In order to comply with the Congressional destruction mandate, the Department is
conducting assessments to determine available options and alternatives for destroying the
remaining chemical weapons stockpile by 2012, but not later than 2017. After
completing these assessments; the Department will report to Congress on the results, to
include an estimate of any additional resources that may be required to comply with this
mandate.

Thank you for your continued leadership and support for this national security
effort.

Sincerely,

Signed: Robert Gates