Destruction of the nation's remaining stockpile of chemical weapons in a safe, efficient, and timely manner is essential to meet Chemical Weapons Convention treaty obligations and to reduce the risk of a potential catastrophic event. The Department of Defense (DOD) established the Chemical Demilitarization Program to manage the destruction of the remaining stockpile. GAO was asked to evaluate the (1) progress DOD and the Army have made in addressing GAO's prior recommendations to strengthen program management, (2) reasonableness of schedule milestones, (3) reliability of cost estimates, and (4) effectiveness of efforts to provide monetary incentives to the systems contractors. GAO reviewed relevant planning documents, schedules, cost estimates, and contracts; interviewed program and contractor officials; and visited chemical agent destruction sites. DOD and the Army have taken steps in addressing GAO's prior recommendations to strengthen program management by establishing an overall strategy and supporting implementation plan, but some key elements, such as annual performance measures for some key goals, including interim destruction goals, are not fully developed. Moreover, actions DOD and the Army have taken to identify and mitigate the risk of future program schedule extensions and cost growth have not been effective because the Chemical Materials Agency's risk management process has not been fully developed or integrated with DOD's risk management process. As a result, managers lack an integrated and systematic approach to evaluate and manage risk. Given the program's maturity, GAO found that the Army could apply more weight to performance measures, such as schedule and cost, and add objective criteria in these plans.
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