Nerve Gas Stockpile Destruction at NECD in Newport, IN

NECD(click to view larger) During the 1960s, the Newport Chemical Depot (NECD) in Indiana produced the nerve agent VX until a unilateral decree halted American (but not Soviet) production and transportation of all chemical weapons. In the aftermath of 9/11, the US Department of Defense re-evaluated their chemical weapons disposal program, looking at where they might accelerate destruction of the USA’s stockpile in order to remove potential targets. The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency has a number of storage and disposal sites, each of which has its own prime contractor. Prime contractors hold the design, build, operation and closure portions of the contract, while subcontractors to the prime contractors vary by site. This post covers the still-ongoing work at Newport, Indiana. The following is a list of the prime contractors at each CMA disposal site: * Aberdeen, MD: Bechtel; * Anniston, AL: Washington Group Int’l; * Blue Grass, KY: Bechtel-Parsons; * Newport, IN: Parsons; * Pine Bluff, AR: Washington Group Int’l; * Pueblo, CO: Bechtel; * Tooele, UT: EG&G Incorporated; and * Umatilla, OR: Washington Group Int’l. Firms that provide support under the prime contractors include Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), DuPont and Southwest Research Institute. Note that decontamination at […]