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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

CHEMICAL DEMILITARIZATION (CHEM DEMIL)

	Army ACAT IC Program 15 systems Total program cost (TY$) $13720M Prime Contractor JACADS Raytheon TOCDF EG&G Anniston, AL Westinghouse Umatilla, OR Raytheon Other sites TBD NSCMP Teledyne Brown UXB

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The Chemical Demilitarization (Chem Demil) Program is responsible for the destruction of all U.S. chemical warfare related materiel, including the U.S. stockpile of unitary chemical weapons, while ensuring maximum protection to the environment, general public, and personnel involved in the destruction effort. The Chem Demil program is managed by the U.S. Army and consists of four separate projects.

The Chemical Stockpile Disposal Project (CSDP) is responsible for destruction of the U.S. stockpile of unitary chemical weapons. A chemical weapon destruction facility will be constructed at each of nine stockpile storage sites. The current technology uses manual unpacking, automated disassembly, and incineration of agent, explosives, metal, and dunnage in four separate incinerators, followed by exhaust gas processing through separate pollution abatement systems. Currently, the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) and the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (TOCDF) in Utah are the only operational facilities.

The Alternative Technology and Approaches Project (ATAP) is responsible for conducting pilot testing of alternative destruction technologies that may be implemented in future chemical weapon destruction facilities.

The Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) is responsible for the destruction of non-stockpile chemical warfare materiel, including binary chemical weapons, miscellaneous chemical warfare materiel, recovered chemical weapons, former production facilities, and buried chemical warfare materiel.

The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Project (CSEPP) is a state emergency preparedness plan coordinated between the Army, FEMA, and local authorities.

The Chem Demil program was placed under OSD oversight as an ACAT ID Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) in December 1994. The Chem Demil program designation was changed to ACAT IC in August 1997.

Upon completion of the Operational Verification Test (OVT) of the CSDP JACADS facility, the JACADS facility was declared operational by the U.S. Army in March 1993 (prior to the OSD oversight designation). Based on the results of the JACADS OVT, the U.S. Army concluded that future CSDP facilities using JACADS technology would be required only to successfully pass systemization testing rather than an OVT prior to being declared operational. Systemization testing is essentially an end-to-end operational test, except for the use of surrogate chemicals for the actual chemical agents.

The JACADS OVT test results were reviewed by DOT&E. The JACADS OVT was adequate to address the JACADS facility's operational performance. Mitre (McLean, Virginia) was contracted by the U.S. Army to provide an independent assessment of the JACADS OVT. DOT&E agreed with the findings of their summary report, published May 1993, that "there are no apparent fundamental safety, environmental, or process-related problems in utilizing the technology on Johnston Island for disposal of chemical munitions."

Systemization testing of TOCDF, the second CSDP facility, commenced in August 1993 and concluded in June 1996. Systemization testing of the TOCDF was on-going at the time the Chem Demil program was placed under OSD oversight; therefore, the testing was conducted without an OSD approved Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) and DOT&E did not perform an independent evaluation. DOT&E did observe the testing and reviewed the evaluation of the U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Agency (AMSAA), who serves as the U.S. Army's independent evaluator for Chem Demil. DOT&E agreed with AMSAA's conclusion that that there were no open issues that precluded the start of operations. TOCDF was declared operational by the U.S. Army and began operations with chemical agent in August 1996.

A separate TEMP is required for all succeeding CSDP sites. A draft TEMP for the Anniston, Alabama site has been provided to OSD for review. The CSDP is beyond Milestone III and no B-LRIP is required.

During 1996, the ATAP project performed technical testing and evaluation of several alternative technologies for the two bulk storage sites at Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG), Maryland and Newport Chemical Activity (NECA), Indiana. DOT&E observed the testing and reviewed the evaluation. The ATAP TEMP was approved by OSD in September 1996. In January 1997, a decision authorized further planning steps for the implementation of alternative technology pilot plants at APG and NECA to demonstrate agent destruction with the neutralization process followed by either on-site or off-site post treatment.

At the direction of Congress, the Army established in 1996 a new program, Assembled Chemical Munitions, separate from Chem Demil, to evaluate alternative technologies for the Pueblo. Colorado and Blue Grass, Kentucky sites. This new program is required to provide a recommendation by December 1998 for a destruction method to be implemented by CSDP for each site.

The NSCMP project will be conducted as a set of independent projects at over sixty sites utilizing a site specific combination of mobile and fixed equipment and facilities. An overarching TEMP is not required. A test and evaluation plan will be submitted for OSD approval for each site for a pre-operational test prior to agent operations.

The CSEPP project does not include system test and evaluation. This project is a state emergency preparedness plan coordinated between the Army and FEMA, and does not require a TEMP. The Army is conducting assessments jointly with FEMA and local emergency response authorities.

Work on development of the Systemization TEMP for the Anniston site continued in FY97. Development and writing of the Test Concept Plans for Non Stockpile programs began in FY 97. Several tests were conducted in connection with the Alternative Technology Program during FY97. These include corrosive test on materials which may be used in the Aberdeen and Newport treatment facilities. Toxicology test on effluents and aquatic life (both animal and plant life) were conducted. Tests were conducted to determine the success of long duration Super Critical Water Oxidation process for post treatment neutralized VX.

The operational JACADS and TOCDF facilities combined have successfully destroyed to date 8.1 percent of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile. Operational status of TOCDF for destruction of M55 rockets has been delayed due to permitting issues related to PCB emissions. This delay did not affect the operational status for other weapon and agent destruction processing at TOCDF. The permitting issues have now been resolved and formal permit approval for the rocket destruction is anticipated to occur in May 1998. The program manager is incorporating lessons learned from operations at JACADS and TOCDF into test and evaluation plans for the future sites.

Test and evaluation of the other sites will not commence until completion of the construction of their facilities. Construction has begun at the Anniston, Alabama and Umatilla, Oregon sites. The contract award for the Pine Bluff, Arkansas site has been protested and is on hold. The Pueblo, Colorado and Blue Grass, Kentucky sites are effectively on hold while awaiting the destruction technology method recommendations from the separate Assembled Chemical Munitions program.

The Army has selected to pursue the use of on-site biodegradation for post treatment at Aberdeen, Maryland, with the exception of non-water soluble volatile organic products, which will be treated off-site. Additionally, the Army has selected to pursue super-critical water oxidation (SCWO) for post treatment at Newport, Indiana. Additional testing of the SCWO process is planned with several potential contractors. Contract awards are anticipated for both sites during FY99. Test and evaluation of both sites will commence with completion of construction of the on-site facilities.

A test concept plan for NSCMP has not been submitted to OSD.

In their independent test report, Mitre concluded that the JACADS OVT encountered a variety of munitions and agent-specific problems that could not have been foreseen in the tests that were conducted with inert, simulant-filled munitions prior to OVT. Therefore, test and evaluation of future sites must address site-specific munitions and processes not tested previously, while developing adequate measures for end-to-end operational performance. Furthermore, to ensure that the facility is operationally effective and suitable, state permitting tests that use chemical agent should be included with systemization testing in the formal operational test.