GAO says Army's chemical disposal program lacks leadership

The Army's chemical demilitarization program is in "turmoil" because of poor leadership and management, government auditors announced in a report released Friday.

Under its Chemical Weapons Convention obligations, the United States was supposed to destroy 45 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile by April 2004, but Pentagon officials last week said they would ask officials from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to extend that deadline to December 2007.

The General Accounting Office blamed chemical disposal delays on "longstanding leadership, organizational, and strategic planning issues. … The program lacks stable leadership at the upper management levels."

The GAO called on the Pentagon to develop a comprehensive strategy to meet the disposal deadlines.

"Articulate the program's mission, identify the long-term goals and objectives, delineate the roles and responsibilities of all DOD and Army offices, and establish near-term performance measures," the GAO report (GAO-03-1031) said.

In a written response, the Army agreed with the auditors' major recommendations.

The report said that a lack of overall strategy had led to widespread failure across the demilitarization program, including safety concerns, environmental problems, public anxiety and budget shortfalls. The preliminary estimates for the total cost of the program have been raised by $1.2 billion, according to the report.