The United States has successfully destroyed its last declared stockpile of chemical weapons, marking the end of a decades-long effort to eliminate these deadly weapons. President Joe Biden made the announcement on Friday, stating that this milestone brings the nation one step closer to a world free from the horrors of chemical warfare. The U.S. and other signatories of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1997, are obligated to destroy their chemical weapons stockpile by September 30, 2023. The final munition in the stockpile was safely destroyed at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colorado, and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky. In Kentucky, workers destroyed rockets filled with GB nerve agent, also known as sarin, completing a campaign that began during the Cold War and saw the elimination of over 30,000 tons of chemical warfare agents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. stockpile of chemical warfare agents had reached nearly 40,000 tons by 1968. Chemical weapons have been responsible for some of the most horrific episodes of human loss, with the United Nations estimating that they killed almost 100,000 people during World War One and have caused over 1 million casualties worldwide since then. President Biden expressed pride in the U.S."s achievement, stating that the country has fulfilled its promise to rid its arsenal of this evil. He highlighted that successive administrations have been committed to ensuring that these weapons are never developed or deployed again. This accomplishment also marks the first time that an international body has verified the destruction of an entire category of declared weapons of mass destruction. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a statement, emphasized the significance of eliminating chemical weapons, acknowledging the horrific episodes of human loss they have caused. He stated that this milestone represents the fulfillment of the nation"s promise to rid its arsenal of this evil. Chemical weapons have a dark history, with their usage coming to the forefront during World War One, earning the conflict the moniker of the "chemist"s war." The U.S. has now met its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, joining 193 countries in the effort to eliminate these deadly weapons.