Operation Steel Box

Shortly after the signing of the bilateral chemical weapons destruction agreement, the army began Operation Steel Box to remove all U.S. chemical weapons from Germany. The project started in July and finished in November 1990, with all the munitions safely moved to Johnston Atoll. The same year, the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Destruction System (JACADS) incinerator on the island became operational. The Tooele demilitarization plant was not operational until 1996. 

OPERATION RED HAT. In 1971, the United States relocated its chemical weapon (CW) stockpile from Okinawa to the Johnston Atoll, located in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Hawaii. The relocation was given the code name Operation Red Hat and was also known as the Kalama Express. Operation Red Hat was prompted by public disclosure of the existence of the CW stockpile on Okinawa, which generated opposition to its presence by locals and others, who deemed such a U.S. stockpile on the heavily populated island to be risky. See also OPERATION STEEL BOX. 

OPERATION STEEL BOX. In 1990, the U.S. Army successfully transferred more than 100,000 chemical weapons (CW) from West Germany to the Johnston AtoU in the Pacific Ocean. The transfer was given the code name Operation Steel Box but was known by some as Operation Golden Python. See also OPERATION RED HAT. 

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