Chemical Demilitarization: Public Policy Aspects

CML Army Chemical Review, April, 2004 by Reid Kirby

Chemical Demilitarization: Public Policy Aspects, Al Mauroni, Praeger Pulishers, April 2003.

The U.S. Army has a long history in chemical demilitarization, dating back to the activities of the Chemical Warfare Service in World War I. Though the practices have changed over the decades, they were always in keeping with the practices of industry at the time.

Al Mauroni's discourse on chemical demilitarization is limited to the U.S. Army Chemical Corps's experience with incineration (from the 1970s to the present). His main focus is on how a straightforward endeavor ended up as a hotly debated $24-billion, 25-year project and ultimately what lessons chemical soldiers may gain from this experience.

The book is replete with references to public laws and is one of the most detailed accounts of U.S. chemical-demilitarization activities. Mr. Mauroni sees the evolution of the demilitarization program as three distinct bands: Army-funded to destroy "leakers," Department of Defense (DOD)-funded to destroy obsolete chemical weapons to make room for binary weapons, and the current program to destroy all chemical weapons to meet U.S. disarmament treaty obligations.

His accounts are highly detailed and show a program embroiled with political conflicts. It is also a testament to the responsiveness of the U.S. Army to communities and groups. His analysis is critical of the political machinery at work on national projects and the inability of the Chemical Corps to affect public policy.

The book concludes that the policy lessons from the chemical demilitarization program are educational to other chemical- and biological-related issues (such as the anthrax vaccination program). A cultural change within the Army and greater teamwork within DOD is recommended.

Chemical Demilitarization is a valuable historical study and a must-read reference on the subject. It is also invaluable for understanding public-policy processes that affect the Chemical Corps.