More than a decade ago, the United States committed to destroying its stockpile of aging chemical weapons. Milestones for measuring progress under the Chemical Weapons Convention called for all possessor states to destroy 45% of their stockpiles – without endangering humans or the environment – by 2004. However, delays born of technical obstacles, community concerns, and program management issues mean that the US will not meet that goal. This Stimson Center report, Inching Away from Armageddon: Destroying the U.S. Chemical Weapons Stockpile, offers a brief history and explanation of the technical processes, and a snapshot of current progress of the US chemical demilitarization program.
