Army Names Permanent Head of Chemical Weapons Disposal Program

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Jan. 25, 2012

The U.S. Army announced on Tuesday that the acting head of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program would assume the role on a permanent basis as the organization prepares for disposal of the country’s two remaining chemical stockpiles (see GSN, June 17, 2011).

Conrad Whyne will become the ACWA program executive officer on Feb. 26, according to a press release.

The ACWA program has responsibility for eliminating chemical weapons stockpiles in Pueblo, Colo. and Blue Grass, Ky. It is the sister agency to the Army Chemical Materials Agency, which last week wrapped up a 22-year campaign to destroy chemical warfare materials and munitions stored at seven other U.S. depots (see GSN, Jan. 24).

Whyne has been the interim chief of the ACWA program for slightly more than a year while simultaneously serving as the director of the Chemical Materials Agency. Prior to that, he spearheaded chemical disposal campaigns at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas.

Chemical neutralization facilities are under construction at Blue Grass and Pueblo. The Kentucky depot houses 523 tons of chemical warfare materials, while its Colorado counterpart stores 2,611 tons of mustard blister agent. Agent disposal work is slated to wrap up in 2017 at Pueblo and in 2021 at Blue Grass, according to previous reports (U.S. Army Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program release, Jan. 24).

The Army said Whyne would be replaced on an interim basis at the Army Chemical Materials Agency by Don Barclay, who is now the CMA deputy director.

The Chemical Materials Agency continues to oversee storage of the weapons in Colorado and Kentucky and to manage dismantlement of disposal plants that have completed their missions (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Jan. 24)

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Army Names Permanent Head of Chemical Weapons Disposal Program

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