Chemical Munitions

In response to a congressional request, GAO examined Department of Defense cost estimates for destroying and demilitarizing the existing stockpile of unitary chemical munitions and producing proposed binary chemical munitions.

The U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency has estimated that total program costs for the construction and operation of a demilitarization facility at every site where unitary chemical munitions are stored would be about $1.7 billion; however, estimated costs for developing a national site or two regional sites for demilitarization and studying transportation options, accident risks, and special shipping requirements are not available because they are still being developed. It has been estimated that the demilitarization and destruction program cost estimates could vary by as much as 30 percent. The Chemical Warfare Review Commission has projected that the total production costs for three binary systems over the next 8 years would be $2.749 billion and would include $178 million for research and development, $312 million for facilities, and $2.259 billion for production; however, the requirements for the binary systems are uncertain and will need additional analysis.