McConnell Delivers Keynote Address Marking the Final Destruction of Remaining U.S. Chemical Weapon Stockpile

Press Release

"Good morning. Thank you, Madison County Judge/Executive Reagan Taylor, for the kind words. It's good to see Richmond Mayor Robert Blythe, Berea Mayor Bruce Fraley, and all the state, federal, and military officials here to celebrate this special occasion.

We have good reason to celebrate today. But right now, I know many hearts and minds are drawn to the horrific violence that's unfolded in recent days halfway around the world.

On Saturday, we saw the face of evil when hundreds of Iran-backed terrorists launched into the peaceful streets of Israel massacring, kidnapping, and brutalizing thousands of innocent civilians.

Elaine and I keep the victims of this horrendous violence in our prayers, and we pray for the thousands of Americans, as well as the many Kentuckians, still caught in the middle of it.

Right now, Israel deserves the time and space to defend itself. And it deserves our support in word and in action. I'll continue to stand with our Israeli friends in this dark hour, and do everything I can to make sure our ally has America's full support.

Now, let us turn our attention to today's celebration.

Nearly three decades ago, America made a promise never again to deploy or produce chemical weapons and to destroy our existing stockpiles. This past July, when Blue Grass Army Depot safely and securely destroyed the final nerve-agent rocket in our arsenal, we made good on that promise.

Modern chemical weapons have haunted battlefields for over a century. Images of masked soldiers in the trenches of World War I and horrific scenes of Nazi concentration camps are etched into our collective memory.

Even recently, we've seen Syria resort to chemical attacks against its own people and Russia's authoritarian regime use advanced nerve agents abroad to target political opponents -- both countries brazenly ignoring the international rules of conduct.

Chemical weapons make peace uneasy in our modern world, and the U.S. and our allies must continue to condemn the use of these vile weapons and punish those who deploy them.

Today, however, we stand on the threshold of a new era in American defense -- one without these weapons of terror. This achievement is as much a global victory as it is a local triumph.

For many Americans, the international ban on chemical weapons may seem distant from their daily lives, but for the people of Kentucky, especially Madison County, this commitment has been deeply personal.

Kentucky has been home to over 500 tons of chemical weapons, including mustard, sarin, and VX, since the 1940s; and for years, the community coexisted with these munitions. President Reagan would eventually lead an international campaign calling for a global ban on the use of chemical weapons.

Reagan's campaign set into motion a decades-long, domestic mission to destroy America's chemical arsenal -- it also happened to coincide with my first Senate election.

Here in Richmond, the community was rightly concerned about seeing this effort through. Unlike most remote storage and disposal sites, Kentucky's chemical munitions sit within spitting distance of thousands of families and young children. Many were unsettled by the Pentagon's plans to burn these weapons nearby without exploring any alternatives.

So I took one of my first visits as a newly sworn-in Senator to Blue Grass Army Depot to see what I could do to help. It became obvious to me that the Army's one-size-fits-all disposal plan wouldn't work for this Kentucky community.

Shortly after arriving in Washington, I introduced a provision to stop any new shipments of chemical weapons from entering the Commonwealth. This was our first big breakthrough.

While concerned citizens began their advocacy in Richmond and Berea, I began mine in Washington. But despite our strong objections, bureaucrats in the Pentagon kept advancing their plans for incineration.

It took nearly a decade of steady petitioning until we finally forced the Army back to the drawing board. In 1996, I introduced a bill creating the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program (ACWA), an organization tasked with identifying and demonstrating responsible alternatives to burning.

Armed with this community's input and meticulous due diligence, I fought to secure federal resources to test every single alternative ACWA found. Thanks to this assessment, we finally had viable options to safely destroy these weapons without endangering families in Madison County.

We encountered obstacles along the way, from funding challenges to entrenched bureaucracy--President Clinton even threatened to veto an entire government funding bill because of one of my provisions to protect this county-- but I made sure every decision-maker at the Pentagon knew this was a top priority for me and my constituents.

In fact, Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates and I discussed the Depot so frequently that he even made a point to mention my badgering him in his memoir.

By 2015, construction of a state-of-the-art facility to safely destroy the Depot's chemical munitions was federally funded. This facility became fully operational not long after, and I was proud to join you in marking that milestone four years ago.

This past July, the disposal of Kentucky's chemical stockpile finally concluded. And for the first time in American history, we destroyed an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

Convincing the Army to change course and use the safest disposal method wasn't easy, and this community was pivotal to its success.

Among my many allies was Craig Williams, a remarkable local leader who has stood with me shoulder-to-shoulder throughout this fight. He spent years pouring over every detail until he became a leading expert on the Depot and its operations.

Kentuckians couldn't have asked for a more effective citizen advocate than Craig. His unshakeable focus has guided this movement forward, and his commitment to transparency and credibility made him one of my most trusted sources of counsel. Thank you, Craig.

The broader community's engagement has been a textbook example of how a democracy should work. America is at its best when communities, like this one, lead from the bottom up.

We also owe an immense debt of gratitude to the operators, technicians, construction workers, and other Department of Defense personnel who have worked tirelessly to support the Depot's mission. Thank you for all your hard work.

Today, the Depot continues to be a critical asset to the Army. Its skilled workforce, strategic location, unique facilities, and strong federal, state, and local support are a sturdy foundation for future successful missions.

With the Depot's chemical operations approaching their end, the Army has an opportunity to invest in its own industrial base and defend America's interests at home and abroad. As we shape the future of this facility, I will continue to champion the Depot and the talented men and women who support it.

Throughout my career, I've felt uniquely tied to protecting this community -- fortunately, the longer I've stuck around, the bigger my megaphone has become. When I first arrived in Washington, I ranked 99th in the Senate -- my back row, corner seat barely saw the light of the Senate Chamber.

Today, as the longest-serving Senate Leader in American history, I haven't forgotten where I came from or who has sent me back to Washington every six years. I've been proud to bring national attention to this fight -- even when no one would listen -- and I won't forget Madison County or Blue Grass Army Depot as it looks to the future.

It has been one of the great honors of my career to lead this charge at the federal level, and I thank you for trusting me to fight on your behalf.

Together, we achieved what once seemed unimaginable. And together now, Madison County celebrates the triumphant close of this chapter in American history. Thank you."

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