Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/2390

 PUBLIC LAW 109–364—OCT. 17, 2006

120 STAT. 2359

(2) recommendations on the best means by which the Department may improve its organization and management for national security in space.

Subtitle C—Chemical Demilitarization Program SEC. 921. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON COMPLETION OF DESTRUCTION OF UNITED STATES CHEMICAL WEAPONS STOCKPILE.

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, done at Paris on January 13, 1993 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Chemical Weapons Convention’’), requires that destruction of the entire United States chemical weapons stockpile be completed by no later than the extended deadline of April 29, 2012. (2) On April 10, 2006, the Department of Defense notified Congress that the United States would not meet even the extended deadline under the Chemical Weapons Convention for destruction of the United States chemical weapons stockpile. (3) Destroying existing chemical weapons is a homeland security imperative and an arms control priority and is required by United States law. (4) The elimination and nonproliferation of chemical weapons of mass destruction is of utmost importance to the national security of the United States. (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the United States is committed to making every effort to safely dispose of its entire chemical weapons stockpile by the Chemical Weapons Convention extended deadline of April 29, 2012, or as soon thereafter as possible, and will carry out all of its other obligations under that Convention; (2) to prevent further delays in completing the destruction of the United States chemical weapons stockpile, the Secretary of Defense should prepare a comprehensive schedule for the safe destruction of such stockpile and should annually submit that schedule (as currently in effect) to the congressional defense committees, either separately or as part of another required report, until such destruction is completed; (3) the Secretary of Defense should make every effort to ensure adequate funding to complete the elimination of the United States chemical weapons stockpile in the shortest time possible, consistent with the requirement to protect public health, safety, and the environment; and (4) when selecting a site for the treatment or disposal of neutralized chemical agent at a location remote from the location where the agent is stored, the Secretary of Defense should propose a credible process that seeks to gain the support of affected communities.

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