US Chemical Demilitarization: Expansion and Update

Unloading… carefully(click to view full) In a recent post, DID noted that Bechtel National Inc. in San Francisco, CA had received a delivery order amount of $27.6 million as part of a $315.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for activities to facilitate future closure of the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ABCDF). Yet Bechtel also received a recent contract $94.3 million delivery order amount as part of a $409.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract “for construction of a chemical demilitarization facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground.” What’s going on? DID got in touch with the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, and Public Affairs Officer Jeff Lindblad offered some clarifications: The $27 million is for stage one closure of ABCDF – the development of plans outlining how the facility will be closed. Obviously, this is far from straightforward when dealing with chemical weapon disposal facilities. Following 9/11, the Department of Defense re-evaluated the chemical disposal program, looking at where they accelerate destruction of the USA’s stockpile. Aberdeen was one location selected for accelerated destruction due to one agent that was conveniently stored in one-ton steel containers. This required a reordering of the destruction process, modifications to the facility, and offsite treatment of the resulting hydrolysate byproduct […]