Chemical Weapons Better Management Tools Needed to Guide DOD's Stockpile Destruction Program

Abstract

Since its inception in 1985, the Chemical Demilitarization (Chem-Demil) Program has been charged with destroying the nations large chemical weapons stockpile. After years of planning and building new facilities, the program started destroying the stockpile in 1990. As of October 2003, the program had destroyed 26 percent of the 31,500-ton agent stockpile, and its total estimated cost to destroy the entire stockpile is more than $25 billion. This testimony summarizes GAOs September 2003 report and addresses the following issues: (1) the status of schedule milestones and cost estimates, (2) the impact of the current schedule on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) deadlines, (3) the challenges associated with managing the program, and (4) the status of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). GAO recommended in its September 2003 report that the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Army develop an overall strategy and implementation plan for the program and implement a risk management approach, and DOD concurred.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 30, 2003
Accession Number
AD1166616

Entities

People

  • Bonita Oden
  • Donald Snyder
  • Henry L. Jr Hinton
  • John Buehler
  • Mike Zola
  • Nancy Benco
  • Rodell Anderson

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Accounting
  • Acquisition
  • Arms Control Treaties
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Communities
  • Cost Estimates
  • Costs
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Electronic Mail
  • Emergencies
  • Governments
  • House Of Representatives
  • Risk Management
  • United States
  • Weapons
  • Websites

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Environmental Engineering.