The United States has completed the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile, marking a historic milestone in the pursuit of a safer world, according to remarks attributed to President Joe Biden.
In the final phase, the last two storage sites, located in Pueblo County, Colorado, and eastern Kentucky, contained roughly 2,600 tons of mustard agent within about 780,000 munitions. The first site completed its storage destruction earlier, while the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky finished its closure today. That depot originally held about 523 tons of sarin, mustard agent, and VX within projectiles and rockets.
President Biden noted that the United States has dedicated over three decades to eliminating its stockpile and emphasized pride in the safe destruction of the remaining ammunition. He pointed out that successive administrations concluded that these weapons should neither be developed nor deployed in the future.
The president stressed that completing the arsenal’s destruction fulfills the obligations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits development, production, storage, transfer, and use of such weapons. He added that this achievement is also a historic confirmation by an international body that a whole category of weapons has been eradicated. He thanked thousands of Americans who contributed to this challenging effort.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken later highlighted that the stockpile destruction demonstrates the importance of international cooperation and transparency in arms control and disarmament. He noted that the progress underscores the ongoing threat posed by possession, development, and use of chemical weapons and the need for continued vigilance.
The Chemical Weapons Convention, which came into force in 1997, authorizes the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to eradicate the chemical weapons threat and verify destruction on a set timetable. The OPCW states that 193 states are party to the Convention and that the vast majority of the global population benefits from its protections. The goal remains clear: to prevent future stockpiling and to deter anyone from resuming chemical weapons programs. The path forward requires sustained international collaboration and accountability to maintain a world free from chemical weapon risks (OPCW, 1997; OPCW reports, 2024).
Calls have been made for Russia and Syria to return to full compliance with the Convention and to address undeclared programs that have been linked to grave abuses. With partners worldwide, the commitment endures to prevent any resurgence of chemical weapon capabilities and to pursue permanent disarmament. The collective stance remains firm: there will be no tolerance for chemical weapon development or use as long as global stability depends on it (multilateral statements, attribution to government officials, 2024).
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers historical context, noting that the United States produced chemical weapons from World War I through 1968 as a deterrent against similar threats. At their peak, roughly 40,000 tons of chemical agents were stored in nine facilities across the country. While these weapons were never employed in battle, aging stockpiles ultimately became unsafe and obsolete, underscoring the public health rationale for dismantlement and rigorous safeguards against any potential human exposure (CDC historical summary, 2020; CDC archival notes, 2023).