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Reach Highlighting

the U.S. Army’s

Chemical 

Demilitarization 

Program

The year 2003 has had a series of fi rsts for the U.S. 

Army’s chemical weapons disposal program. Notable 

among those fi rsts is the closure of the U.S. Army’s 

fi rst full-scale chemical weapons disposal facility, the 

Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal

System (JACADS).

The Army began its 

mission of disposing of 

the entire U.S. stockpile 

of chemical weapons 

with those located on 

a small island in the 

middle of the Pacifi c 

Ocean. Though tiny, 

Johnston Island is the 

site of great moments 

and historic fi rsts in the history of U.S. chemical 

weapons stockpile destruction.

From the time JACADS was built in 1986, thousands 

of men and women have lived and worked less than a 

mile from the chemical weapons stockpile. 

Thanks to these dedicated 

men and women, on

Nov. 29, 2000, JACADS 

completed disposal of the 

Johnston Island chemical 

weapons stockpile, and in 

early 2001, JACADS became 

the fi rst U.S. facility to 

offi cially enter closure.

This was accomplished while 

protecting the workers and 

The end of the beginning

Continued on page 4

When offi cials at the Aberdeen Chemical Agent 

Disposal Facility (ABCDF) marked the construction 

completion of the Army’s mustard agent neutralization 

facility just over a year ago, the goal was to bring the 

project to a safe and successful conclusion two years 

ahead of its original schedule. 

“Our commitment to safety remains the top priority 

at the ABCDF, and we will not sacrifi ce safety for 

schedule,” said Edgewood Chemical Activity and 

ABCDF Commander Lt. Col. Gerald L. Gladney 

during a recent presentation to members of the Bel 

Air Rotary Club. Gladney, who is responsible for both 

the stockpile storage and disposal missions at APG, 

added, “The challenges we’ve encountered during 

the ABCDF’s start-up have slowed our progress, but 

we’re learning from those challenges and are taking 

the steps needed to ensure that our disposal mission is 

completed without compromising safety.”

The ramp-up of the ABCDF has been slower than 

anticipated due to the diffi culty of decontaminating 

the exterior end of each ton container after the 

mustard agent has been drained. Decades of paint 

build-up on the containers, coupled with background 

contamination from the drain stations and the 

extremely low levels of agent to which the monitors 

are set to detect, have led to delays in clearing the 

containers after draining. 

“First of all,” said Bechtel Aberdeen Deputy Project 

Manager Rick Holmes, “we must ensure that the 

drained containers are safe to remove from the drain 

stations and can be stored temporarily until they go 

through fi nal processing. Once the containers have 

been drained and decontaminated, we’ve had diffi culty 

confi rming the cleanliness of the containers because 

they tend to pick up traces of contamination from the 

glove box itself.”

“To remedy this,” Holmes explained, “we have 

designed a monitoring chamber into which the entire

Safety remains top priority at ABCDF

Challenges slow progress Fall 2003

Edgewood 

Chemical Stockpile 

Outreach Offi ce

1011 B Woodbridge 

Center Way

Edgewood, MD 21040

(410) 676-6800

Outreach Offi ce Hours

Monday–Friday

8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Other hours by appointment

U.S. Army 

Aberdeen 

Chemical Agent 

Disposal Facility 

Public Affairs Offi ce

(410) 436-5253

Bechtel Aberdeen 

Public Outreach Offi ce

(410) 436-9507

Edgewood

Lt. Col. Gerald L. Gladney, commander of the Edgewood 

Chemical Activity and Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal 

Facility, describes the challenges encountered at the mustard 

agent disposal facility to members of the Bel Air Rotary Club.

Photo by Nancy Hofmann

Continued on page 2

JACADS during chemical weapons disposal operations

File photograph

Chemical Materials Agency

www.cma.army.mil
drained container can be placed. It is essentially a 9-foot 

extension of the drain station room, but separate from

it so that it can be sealed off. This permits us to isolate 

and monitor the full length of the drained container 

without inadvertently picking up readings from 

contamination that isn’t on the container, but back

in the drain station.”

Construction of the monitoring chambers has been 

completed on two drain stations and is nearing 

completion on the third. 

A second challenge slowing the ramp-up of the 

ABCDF presented itself Aug. 16, when a carbon fi lter 

drum venting the rinse water storage tank inside the 

neutralization bay overheated and began emitting 

smoke, triggering smoke alarms. Workers masked and 

evacuated the building. The facility’s ventilation system 

automatically shut down, as designed, to prevent oxygen 

from feeding any fi re present. Monitors indicated agent 

vapor remained confi ned to the neutralization bay and 

adjacent rooms. The drum was cooled by remotely 

feeding it with nitrogen and subsequently has been 

removed from the neutralization bay.

Offi cials investigating the incident have determined 

that the smoke in the neutralization bay of the ABCDF 

apparently was caused by a reaction in a carbon drum 

attached to a vent line. Initial fi ndings are that the 

smoking began when the carbon interacted with a 

caustic material in the lines. The caustic solution was 

used to rinse out dithiane crystals that were forming 

in and clogging pipes for the vent condenser. Bechtel, 

the systems contractor at the ABCDF, is working with 

industry experts in the use of carbon to develop a plan 

to prevent this from happening again. In addition to 

ensuring the caustic solution doesn’t interact with the 

carbon, the system has been modifi ed to enable early 

detection of heat in the carbon drums, and includes 

a nitrogen purge capability that can be added to 

extinguish and cool the drum if there is a recurrence. 

The formation of the crystals will be remedied by 

changing pumps on the reactors and rinse water tank 

from air-sealed to double mechanical sealed pumps.

On Aug. 16, 2003, offi cials at the ABCDF elected

to pause operations at the facility to address

these challenges. 

“The work ‘outage’ will give us the time needed to 

thoroughly evaluate and address the challenges we’ve 

encountered,” Gladney told Rotary Club members.

“We will not restart operations at the ABCDF until each 

of these challenges is resolved.”

Following a period of extensive testing, limited draining 

and neutralization operations resumed in early November, 

with the goal of returning the ABCDF to full operating 

status by the end of November. Once the facility is fully 

operational, disposal efforts are expected to be complete 

by early spring 2004, still more than 18 months ahead 

of the original schedule. As of October 17, more than 

55 tons of mustard agent have been neutralized at the 

ABCDF. (Editor’s note: Neutralization operations at the 

ABCDF resumed Nov. 3, 2003. Progress made since press 

time will be updated in future publications.)

“Our commitment to 

safety remains the 

top priority at the 

ABCDF, and we will 

not sacrifi ce safety

for schedule.”

—Lt. Col. Gerald L. Gladney, 

commander of the

U.S. Army Edgewood 

Chemical Activity and 

Aberdeen Chemical

Agent Disposal Facility 

The existing drain station gloveboxes at the ABCDF, as

depicted above, are being modifi ed in order to ensure

accurate agent monitoring.

Continued from cover

Safety guides path forward at disposal facility

Total Drained

90 containers of mustard

agent have been drained.

Total Neutralized

Of the drained mustard agent, 

more than 55 tons

have been neutralized.

At a glance – ABCDF stats

 (as of October 17, 2003)

Hydrolysate Transport

Approximately 435,600 gallons of the 

neutralization byproduct, 

called hydrolysate, have 

been shipped to DuPont 

Secure Environmental 

Treatment at Chambers 

Works in Deepwater, 

N.J., for biotreatment.

2
3

On Aug. 4, Bechtel Aberdeen, 

systems contractor for the 

ABCDF, welcomed Joseph 

Nemec as project manager. 

As a 21-year veteran with 

Bechtel, Nemec brings 

impressive and valuable 

experience to the team. He 

understands the dynamics of 

operating plants and, having 

handled several complex 

projects with very tough 

safety and environmental 

Bechtel Aberdeen welcomes new project manager

challenges, recognizes the paramount importance of 

safety and environmental protection. Lee Smith, the 

departing project manager, served on the project for 

more than 20 months and oversaw the major change 

in project direction following the terrorist attacks of 

9/11. Having been tasked by the Army to fi nd ways 

to accelerate the destruction of the mustard agent, 

he led the Bechtel Aberdeen team through a highly 

compressed redesign and construction effort,

saw to the hiring and training of a plant operations 

team, certifi ed the neutralization facility as operationally 

ready, and initiated the processing of live mustard agent 

on April 23, 2003. 

Joseph Nemec, Bechtel 

Aberdeen Project Manager

File Photograph

By all accounts, it 

appeared that Hurricane 

Isabel would pass slightly 

to the west of Harford 

County, Md., bringing 

with it high winds and heavy rain that had the potential to 

have some damaging effects on the Edgewood Chemical 

Activity’s (ECA) mustard agent storage yard.

It also appeared as though these same concerns would 

hold for the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility 

(ABCDF), where the disposal of Aberdeen Proving

Ground’s share of the nation’s chemical stockpile began

in April 2003.

But appearances are just that – appearances. And what 

offi cials at ECA and ABCDF had anticipated and 

diligently prepared for never occurred.

“We prepared for the worst-case scenario, as we do in all

of our planning activities,” said Lt. Col. Gerald L. Gladney, 

ECA/ABCDF commander. “If you’re prepared for the 

worst-case scenario, then you’re prepared for anything less 

that comes along.”

Offi cials at the ABCDF closely followed the projected 

path of Hurricane Isabel days before she arrived and made 

repeated sweeps of the project site to remove, tie down or 

secure objects that might be damaged or cause damage 

during periods of high winds and rain. 

“We involved the workforce in all of our planning and 

preparation activities to be sure we didn’t overlook 

anything, and they didn’t let us down,” said Gladney. 

“We also worked closely with regulators at the Maryland 

Department of the Environment in order to obtain the 

approvals necessary to neutralize approximately 900 gallons 

of mustard agent stored in the facility’s Agent Holding 

Tank and move 12 fi lled mustard agent containers from

the Process Neutralization Building, where they were 

awaiting disposal, back to the storage yard for 

more secure storage.”

“The state granted those approvals,” Gladney stated. “The 

remaining 900 gallons of agent were neutralized and the 12 

containers were safely taken back into storage while Isabel 

was still out at sea.”

While Hurricane Isabel was making its way to the

East Coast, mustard agent draining operations were

on hold as part of a self-imposed work “outage,” instituted

to provide the time needed to evaluate and correct 

challenges involving container decontamination and an 

overheating carbon fi lter drum.

“Safety is our top priority here,” Gladney said. “That 

philosophy applies to our everyday operations, not just 

when Mother Nature decides to make an appearance.” He 

added, “In view of the risk Isabel posed, we wanted to 

ensure that we left nothing to chance. We reviewed all of 

our contingency plans and took the additional steps needed 

to ensure our workforce, the community and environment 

were as safe as possible.”

Gladney reported that offi cials at ECA and ABCDF 

conducted a damage assessment once the storm moved

out of the area. The assessment team determined that the 

facility and storage yard suffered no major damage from 

Isabel. Minor fl ooding of the roads surrounding the storage 

yard receded, leaving no evidence of any damage to the site.

As for the work “outage,” Gladney said, “We hope to be 

partially operational in October 2003, processing agent 

using two reactors with new pumps and one upgraded 

drain station, but we will not compromise the safety of the 

workforce, the environment or community for schedule.”

Once the facility is fully operational, disposal efforts are 

expected to be complete by early spring 2004, still more 

than 18 months ahead of the original schedule.

Storage yard, ABCDF weather 

Hurricane Isabel

New 

 Faces

“We prepared for the 

worst-case scenario, 

as we do in all of our 

planning activities.

If you’re prepared for 

the worst-case scenario, 

then you’re prepared

for anything less that 

comes along.”

—Lt. Col Gerald L. Gladney, 

commander of the U.S. Army 

Edgewood Chemical Activity 

and Aberdeen Chemical 

Agent Disposal Facility
the environment. In fact, according to independent surveys and studies, 

the fi sh and bird populations are prospering. The coral reef that is Johnston 

Atoll is one of the few thriving reef systems in the world.

JACADS closure activities on Johnston Atoll will end in late 2003. (Editor’s 

note: as of Aug. 22, 2003, JACADS closure was four weeks ahead of schedule.)

Because each of the eight disposal sites in the continental U.S. eventually 

will go through closure, program personnel are paying close attention

to JACADS to ensure that valuable experience and insight from that

site is shared.

The year 2003 is also a year of fi rsts for several other U.S. stockpile sites. 

The Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Maryland and the 

Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama both started agent 

disposal operations, and the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, 

which has recently celebrated seven years of operations, completed its agent 

changeover and started its disposal campaign for nerve agent VX.

Also in 2003, the Army completed construction of a neutralization facility 

for bulk agent stored at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana while 

responsibility for full-scale pilot testing of neutralization technologies to 

destroy the assembled chemical weapons stockpiles at Pueblo Chemical 

Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky was 

designated to the Department of Defense’s Assembled Chemical Weapons 

Alternatives Program.

The experiences at JACADS, the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal 

Facility and the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility are being used 

to improve the processes and facilities at the other sites as they prepare 

to come on-line. The Army constantly strives to update their proven safe 

disposal methods through research, new technology and the experiences 

of each disposal site. Working with agencies such as the EPA and the 

National Research Council, the Army ensures that the community and the 

environment are protected.

This year, 2003, has been a banner year for the Army’s chemical weapons 

disposal program. The fi rsts have been many, and with JACADS 

completing closure, the beginning of U.S. chemical weapons disposal is 

truly coming to an end.

WELL DONE!

Reach

Edgewood Chemical Stockpile Outreach Offi ce

c/o U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency 

Public Outreach and Information Offi ce

E4585 Parrish Road

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010

Continued from cover

JACADS closing

Photo courtesy of H. Ward Maynard

An unidentifi ed JACADS worker supervises demolition of the explosion 

containment rooms at the JACADS facility.