The Chem Demil program was placed under OSD oversight as an ACAT ID Major Defense Acquisition Program 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 Johnston Atoll Facility, the Johnston Atoll Facility was declared operational by the U.S. Army in March 1993 (prior to the OSD oversight designation). Based on the results of the Johnston Atoll Facility OVT, the U.S. Army concluded that future CSDP facilities using Johnston Atoll Facility technology would be required 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 actual chemical agents.

DOT&E reviewed the Johnston Atoll Facility OVT results. The Johnston Atoll Facility OVT was adequate to address the Johnston Atoll Facility facility's operational performance. Mitre (McLean, Virginia) was contracted by the U.S. Army to provide an independent assessment of the Johnston Atoll Facility 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 the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, the second CSDP facility, commenced in August 1993 and concluded in June 1996. Systemization testing of the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility was ongoing at the time the Chem Demil program was placed under OSD oversight; therefore, testing was conducted without an OSD approved 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 there were no open issues that precluded the start of operations. The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility was declared operational by the U.S. Army and began operations with chemical agents in August 1996.

A separate TEMP is required for all succeeding CSDP sites. To date, a formal TEMP has not been submitted to OSD for approval of any CSDP sites, although a draft TEMP for the Anniston, AL site was provided to OSD in 1997 for review. The CSDP is beyond Milestone III and a B-LRIP report is not required.

During 1996, the ATAP performed technical testing and evaluation of several alternative technologies for the two bulk storage sites at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD and Newport Chemical Activity (NECA), IN. DOT&E observed the testing and reviewed the evaluation. The ATAP TEMP was approved by OSD in September 1996. In January 1997, a decision was made to authorize 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 a new program in 1996, Assembled Chemical Munitions, separate from Chem Demil, to evaluate alternative technologies for the Pueblo, CO and Blue Grass, KY 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 will be conducted as a set of independent projects at over 60 sites utilizing a site-specific combination of mobile and fixed equipment and facilities. A total of six distinct hardware systems are planned, each requiring their own DT and OT. An overarching NSCMP TEMP is not required. Instead, a test concept plan that outlines the test strategy for each of the six separate systems with respect to the requirements of all the NSCMP sites, will be submitted for OSD approval. A formal test concept plan has not been submitted to OSD, although a draft was provided to OSD in 1998 for review and comments were provided.

Work on development of the Systemization TEMP for the Anniston site and for the NSCMP test concept plan continued in FY98. The ATAP is continuing to make adequate progress in technical testing leading to final development of pilot plants for the APG and NECA sites.

The Chem Demil program is not Y2K compliant at this time. The spokesman for the program stated that Y2K is not a "showstopper" and the issue will be resolved without any program glitches.

The operational Johnston Atoll Facility and Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility have together successfully destroyed 10.7 percent of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile. Full-rate production of the Metal Parts Furnace at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility began in June 1998 and has completed processing all nerve gas filled MC-1 bombs. Processing of a ton-container of nerve gas is ongoing at this time.

In January 1997, higher than expected levels of polychlorinated biphenyls were detected during M55 rocket trial burns. Polychlorinated biphenyls are covered under the Toxic Substance Control Act permit, which is being processed as a national permit covering all sites. Therefore, the polychlorinated biphenyl issue remains unresolved. The state of Utah has imposed additional requirements as part of the approval process for full-rate production of the Deactivation Furnace System, which is needed to process M-55 rocket fuel. Included in these requirements is a set of trial burn runs. Discussions with state authorities indicate that they will authorize trial burns for a portion of the nerve gas filled M-55 rockets. Once the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility and the state of Utah identify a solution for the polychlorinated biphenyl problem, PMCD will determine a date to resume processing the remaining M55 rockets.

In their independent test report, Mitre concluded that they 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. When actual agents were used at Johnston Atoll Facility OVT, process-engineering problems were experienced which impacted throughput. It is imperative that T&E of future CSDP sites address site-specific munitions and processes previously untested, while developing adequate measures to assess end-to-end operational performance. To ensure that the facility is operationally effective and suitable, state permitting tests that use chemical agents should be included with systemization testing in the formal operational tests.

T&E of the remaining CSDP sites will not commence until completion of the construction of their facilities. Construction has begun at the Anniston, AL, and Umatilla, OR sites. The contract award for the Pine Bluff, AR site was awarded to the Raytheon Demilitarization Company. The Pueblo, CO and Blue Grass, KY sites are effectively on hold until the destruction technology method recommendations from the separate Assembled Chemical Munitions program are received.

The Army has elected to pursue the use of on-site biodegradation for post treatment at APG, with the exception of non-water soluble volatile organic products, which will be treated off-site. Additionally, the Army has decided to pursue super-critical water oxidation for post treatment at NECA. Contract awards are anticipated for both sites during FY99. OT of both sites will commence with completion of construction of the on-site facilities.

In order to bring about a more effective test concept plan for the Non Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project, the plan must include the required scope of testing for all six distinct systems, in addition to adequate measures of end-to-end operational performance that accurately reflect the requirements of all Non Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project sites.