Umatilla Depot Finishes Off VX Rockets

A chemical weapons incinerator yesterday finished off the last of more than 14,000 M55 rockets filled with VX nerve agent that had been stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, the U.S. Army announced (see GSN, Oct. 30, 2007).

The depot’s full stockpile of 105,961 rockets containing deadly VX or sarin nerve agents has now been destroyed, along with all VX-filled spray tanks (see GSN, Jan. 2).  The latest milestone also represents elimination of all self-propelled chemical munitions at Umatilla. 

The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility is now scheduled for a two-month “changeover” period to prepare for elimination of 155 mm VX artillery projectiles, according to a press release.

The facility has destroyed all sarin weapons at Umatilla and is scheduled to complete elimination of VX weapons by spring 2009.  That would be followed by disposal of mustard blister agent stored in bulk containers (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Jan. 23).

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