U.S. destroys last of its declared chemical weapons, closing a deadly chapter dating to World War I

[phkrause]

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — The last of the United States’ declared chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed at a sprawling military installation in eastern Kentucky, the White House announced Friday, a milestone that closes a chapter of warfare dating back to World War I.

https://apnews.com/article/chemical-weapons-war-kentucky-colorado-sarin-0737441e73aeb62f6a105c30ab067393?

[phkrause]

? Milestone: U.S. destroys last chemical weapons

Canisters of mustard gas wait for destruction at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colo., on June 8. Photo: David Zalubowski/ AP The last of America's declared chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed yesterday at a sprawling military installation in eastern Kentucky. Why it matters: The milestone closes a chapter of warfare dating back to World War I, AP reports. ? "For more than 30 years, the United States has worked tirelessly to eliminate our chemical weapons stockpile," President Biden said. "Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the final munition in that stockpile — bringing us one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical weapons." Workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Ky., destroyed rockets filled with GB nerve agent, completing a decades-long campaign to eliminate a stockpile that by the end of the Cold War totaled more than 30,000 tons. The U.S. faced a Sept. 30 deadline to eliminate remaining chemical weapons under the international Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997. Between the lines: By destroying the munitions, the U.S. is officially underscoring that these types of weapons are no longer acceptable.