VX Disposal Begins at Pine Bluff Arsenal

Incineration of rockets carrying VX nerve agent began Saturday at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, the U.S. Army announced (see GSN, May 22).

The Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility halted operations for five months after destroying all sarin-filled weapons stored at the depot.  Site personnel during that time conducted equipment maintenance, processed waste and decontamination fluid and underwent training.

“We successfully transitioned from the first disposal campaign to the second,” site project manager Mark Greer said in a press release.  “We expect VX rocket processing to progress just as smoothly as we did through [sarin] rocket processing.”

Disposal of VX rockets is expected to last six months.  It is expected to be followed by another changeover period to prepare the facility and staff for destruction of VX landmines (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Oct. 15).

Meanwhile, the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Oregon is also gearing up to begin elimination of VX munitions, the Tri-City Herald reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 7).  The incinerator began a changeover period in July after finishing off the Umatilla Chemical Depot’s stockpile of sarin weapons.

“Even though we’ve processed 92,000 (sarin-filled) rockets, we want to make sure everyone is on top of their game when we start again,” said Doug Hamrick, project manager for contractor Washington Group International.

The VX project could begin early next month with destruction of 14,519 M55 rockets, which are considered the most dangerous weapons still held at the depot.  Explosives and propellant remain in the weapons, creating the potential for explosions and releases of nerve agent.

The potential exists for further fires during destruction of rockets, the Herald reported.  Fifteen rockets caught fire in previous operations at Umatilla after they had been drained of sarin and were being cut into pieces (see GSN, July 25, 2006).  The VX and sarin rockets contained the same propellant linked to the fires.

It is expected to take four months to destroy the VX rockets, said depot site project manager Don Barclay.  The plant must also eliminate 32,313 155 mm projectiles, 3,752 8-inch projectiles, 11,685 mines, 156 spray tanks, and one 1-ton container.  All contain VX nerve agent.

Afterward, the facility would prepare for destruction of 2,635 1-ton containers of mustard blister agent (Jeannine Koranda, Tri-City Herald, Oct. 15).