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    •   STORE

      How we make sure the stockpiles are stored safely.

      U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot
      Blue Grass Chemical Activity
    •   DESTROY

      Do recovered munitions contain chemical agent? How we find out, and how we destroy them.

      Recovered Chemical Materiel Directorate
    •   COMPLY

      How we help the United States comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

      Chemical Weapons Convention
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      How we protect the communities around chemical weapon stockpiles.

      Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program
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Interim Holding Facility (IHF)

Recovered chemical munitions require safe and secure storage pending destruction due to their often-deteriorated conditions. Interim holding facilities (IHF) provide safe, temporary storage for recovered chemical warfare materiel at sites where storage facilities, such as igloos and bunkers, are unavailable.

Interim Holding Facility (IHF)
The interim holding facility provides safe storage for recovered chemical warfare materiel.

Engineers developed stringent construction and safety requirements for the IHF. The IHF’s design allows for the installation of a chemical agent filtration system, if necessary. The facilities consist of fireproof and corrosion-resistant materials. Light switches and fixtures, outlets and air conditioners must meet strict non-explosive design requirements to reduce the risk of fire inside the IHF. Additionally, the IHF includes a secondary containment area below the floor that would contain liquids should a leak occur.

The IHF includes high-security locks and remains enclosed in a fenced area. Automatic lights attached to the IHF maximize lighting at night. Additionally, a visual security system and agent monitoring of the IHF is conducted until the recovered items are removed for treatment.

Download This Fact Sheet

RCMD Fact Sheets

  • Video: RCMD at PBA, PBEDS Campaign One

  • Characteristics of Mustard (Blister) Agents

  • RCMD Operations at Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA)

  • Chemical Agent Identification Sets Bottle Holder for EDS (Poster)

  • Pine Bluff Explosive Destruction System (PBEDS)

  • What are Chemical Agents and Chemical Weapons?

  • Munitions

  • Chemical Agent Identification Sets

  • Transportable Detonation Chamber (TDC)

  • Raman Spectrometer

  • Multiple Round Container (MRC)

  • Managing Secondary Waste

  • QL (Diisopropyl Aminoethylmethyl Phosphonite)

  • Digital Radiography and Computed Tomography System (DRCT)

  • DF (Methylphosphonic Difluoride)

  • Chemical Weapons Destruction Expertise

  • Phosgene Carbonyl Chloride

  • Mobile Munitions Assessment System (MMAS)

  • Magnetic Induction Decontamination System (MIDS)

  • Large Item Transportable Access and Neutralization System (LITANS)

  • Former Production Facilities Demolition

  • Materiel Assessment Review Board (MARB)

  • Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS)

  • Explosive Destruction System (EDS) Overview

  • RCMD Overview

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U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity
Mountain

The mountain has been an element that has graced many of the past depot emblems, representing Pike’s Peak.

Missile

The Pershing Missile in the center represents one of the most prominent missions of the depot in the 1980s.

Hawk

The hawk represents native depot wildlife, the present and future mission of the environmental programs, and was also the name of one of the missile systems supplied by the depot during its missile mission in the 1950s and 60s.

Insignias

The branch insignia of both the U.S. Army Chemical Corps and Ordnance Corps represent the depot’s command structure through its history as both an ordnance and a chemical depot.

Colors & Text

The colors cobalt blue and yellow gold are representative of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. “Pueblo Depot” is representative of the installation throughout its history. “1942” is the date of establishment. “Safety” and “Service” capture the continued and historical depot missions.

Motto

The motto translates to “A Common Good.”

Sun

The rising sun denotes the dawning of a new day without chemical weapons and the organization’s mission to safely destroy chemical weapons stockpile, thus changing the future of modern warfare.

Wheat

The three stalks of wheat symbolize the harvest of hope that has been secured through industry, cultivation and abundance. It also refers to the unit’s chemical/biological, smoke/obscurant and support to Homeland security industrial base missions at Pine Bluff Arsenal.

Eagle

The double-headed eagle suggests the two CMA methods for stockpile chemical weapons disposal, incineration and neutralization. These methods’ roots are traced back to Project Eagle I (incinerating of mustard agents) and Eagle II (neutralizing nerve agents).

Olive Branch

The olive branch signifies peace and the Activity’s commitment to abide by the stipulations of the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty and assisting other nations.

Octagon

The octagon alludes to the eight original chemical weapons stockpile storage sites in the United States.