At one point in time, the United States possessed the capacity to deploy approximately 30,000 tons of agents designed to inflict death, disfigurement, and profound suffering, maintained in readiness within explosive metal containers at international storage sites.
This quantity has now officially been reduced to zero. On July 7, 2023, the final M55 rocket containing the nerve agent Sarin underwent puncturing, fluid extraction, and subsequent incineration, marking the definitive cessation of humanity’s utilization of chemical weaponry.
“This represents the inaugural instance where an international governing body has validated the eradication of an entire classification of declared weapons of mass destruction, thereby underscoring the United States’ unwavering dedication to fostering a global environment devoid of chemical armaments,” stated Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, William A. LaPlante, in a public information release.
Over three decades have elapsed since a mutual accord was reached between former US President George Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to halt the production of all chemical weapons and dismantle their respective arsenals, a decision formalized through a bilateral agreement.
Paradoxically, almost a century has passed since the inception of the Geneva Protocol, a treaty prohibiting the use of both chemical and biological agents in armed conflict, as documented by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The profound atrocities witnessed during the First World War starkly illuminated the inherent barbarity of employing agents that deliberately amplify the torment of adversaries.
Chlorine gas was among the initial agents deployed on a significant scale, causing severe irritation to the eyes and respiratory passages of any individuals caught unprotected within its suffocating, pale green vapor, as noted in historical accounts of the war’s early chemical warfare.
Mustard gas produced debilitating blisters upon contact with any exposed dermal tissue. Phosgene, insidiously, inflicted fatal damage to the lungs, leading to a protracted and agonizing demise days after exposure.
Despite an aversion to their deployment, the United States and other global powers persisted in allocating resources towards the research and manufacturing of increasingly potent and lethal weaponry.
During the 1950s, the development of nerve agents such as VX and Sarin occurred, subsequently integrated into projectile delivery systems. These compounds, lethal even in minute quantities, disrupt vital neural functions, leading to muscular paralysis and eventual asphyxiation, as detailed in the history of VX nerve agent.
While the United States has consistently maintained that it has never employed agents covered by the Chemical Weapons Convention in a deliberate capacity to harm human populations, the potential for their use remained a consideration for decades, particularly as a retaliatory measure against potential state-sponsored attacks, according to information from Arms Control Association.
The logistical complexities associated with decommissioning an extensive and aging stockpile of chemical weapons are arguably as formidable as the political challenges involved in establishing international treaties governing their existence, as explored in recent analyses by The New York Times.
Given their design to detonate and inflict widespread tissue damage, the proposition of loading these munitions onto vessels, transporting them across oceans, and then intentionally sinking them by ” creating apertures and scuttling them” was viewed by many as an imprudent course of action, as suggested by NPR reports.
Even with the conclusion of the destruction phase, remedial efforts at the associated facilities are projected to continue for an extended period.
“This encompasses the disposition of residual waste materials, the decontamination and deactivation of both operational sites and equipment, the management of acquired assets, the demolition of select structures, and the finalization of contractual obligations and environmental authorizations,” articulated Michael S. Abaie, Executive Officer of the US Department of Defense’s Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program in a statement.
“Throughout the decommissioning process, the paramount consideration will remain the safeguarding of personnel, the general populace, and the ecological environment.”
With the implementation of advanced processing facilities, the United States has now aligned with global standards, utilizing robotic systems for tasks deemed too hazardous for human operators, employing microbial agents to neutralize recalcitrant chemical compounds, and employing high-temperature furnaces to efficiently reduce contaminated metallic components to slag and ash.
The United Kingdom announced the complete disposal of its last declared chemical agents in 2007, a milestone detailed by the OPCW. India reached a comparable juncture two years later, in 2009, as reported by the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. In 2017, Russia officially declared the annihilation of its final cache, totaling 40,000 tons, a volume comparable to America’s own inventory, according to Arms Control Today. However, discerning the veracity of official pronouncements in relation to actual operational status remains a subject of ongoing debate, as highlighted by BBC News.
It is increasingly improbable that chemical weapons will retain their efficacy in contemporary warfare, a perspective echoed by analyses on the evolving nature of conflict.
Regardless of whether the impetus stems from ethical considerations or strategic calculations, the global inventory of armaments designed for the delivery of agonizing death has significantly diminished. This development warrants a moment of collective recognition and commendation.
