Technical Equipment Inspection (TEI) During Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Baseline

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) entered into force in April 1997. Inspections began at declared Department of Defense sites in June. Prior to inspections beginning, the nations Technical Equipment Inspection (TEI) program accelerated its activities associated with the CWC. The TEI program had been analyzing proposed inspection equipment for several years prior to entry into force. In June, they traveled to The Hague to perform an equipment certification at the equipment warehouse of the Organization for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Equipment was evaluated with respect to three areas of concern: safety, environment, and technical security. A portion of the equipment was certified for use at U.S. facilities. Then, upon entry to the U.S., each inspection teams’ equipment underwent a point of entry inspection to verify that it was consistent with what the team saw in The Hague, and had not been modified. The TEI Program also sent representatives to the sites to assist site personnel and the escorts with respect to equipment issues. The next major activity for the program is the baseline inspections for U.S. commercial facilities.