Why is destruction of the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons so important?
The U.S. chemical weapons stockpile is obsolete and unnecessary. These weapons were produced primarily during the Cold War; they are not only outdated but also deteriorated, making safe storage increasingly difficult. The United States has a deadline to meet. In 1985, the U.S. Congress established the Chemical and Biological Defense Program within the Department of Defense (DoD) and charged the program with the task of safely destroying all existing stockpiles of lethal chemical agents and munitions. Then in 1997, the United States joined 140 nations in ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty, thereby agreeing that the United States would destroy the existing stockpile of aging weapons-principally mustard and nerve agents-not later than April 29, 2012 (revised date). It is a matter of public safety. The chemical weapons stockpile is vulnerable to earthquakes, airline crashes, and other natural or human-caused disasters. Communities that surround these stockpiles have joined fo
