The army and chemical weapons destruction: Implementation in a changing context

In 1985, Congress directed the Army to destroy the nation's stockpile of ch emical weapons. The estimate was that this task could be accomplished by 19 94 at a cost of $1.7 billion. By 1998, only a portion of the stockpile has been destroyed, the deadline extended to 2007 and the estimated cost had ri sen to approximately $16 billion. This paper discusses the factors underlyi ng cost escalation and missed deadlines. It examines the diffusion of contr ol over the implementation process surrounding the chemical weapons demilit arization (Chem Demil) program in the United Stares. Focusing on the role o f the Army and its difficulties in adjusting strategies in the face of poli tical change from the Cold War to the post-Cold War setting, it analyzes th e course of implementation through three converging "streams of political a ctivity." What differentiates the federal, intergovernmental, and internati onal streams are the nature an number of actors, and the type of pressures with which the Army must deal.