Umatilla Depot Prepares to Destroy VX Projectiles

The Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon in the coming days is expected to begin destroying 155 mm artillery projectiles containing VX nerve agent, the U.S. Army announced yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 4).

Depot employees yesterday began moving the weapons to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.

“We’ll start [weapons incineration] slowly and deliberately, then gradually increase our processing rate once we confirm everything is working properly,” Doug Hamrick, project general manager for contractor Washington Defense Group, said in a press release.  “As always, our focus will be safety and environmental compliance at all times.”

Disposal of the 155 mm projectiles is the 10th of 13 weapons elimination campaigns planned at Umatilla.  It is set to be followed by disposal of 8-inch projectiles and land mines carrying VX and finally by bulk containers of mustard blister agent.

The disposal facility to date has destroyed nearly 160,000 munitions, spray tanks and bulk containers carrying VX and sarin nerve agents.  All sarin weapons stored at the depot have been eliminated (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, March 20).

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