Operation Golden Python
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Operation Steel Box, also known as Operation Golden Python (German name for the transport in Germany: Aktion Lindwurm), was a 1990 joint U.S.-West German operation which moved over 100,000 U.S. chemical weapons from Germany to
Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and ...
.


Background

At a
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
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Clausen Clausen is a Danish language, Danish patronymic surname, literally meaning ''child of Claus'', Claus being a German language, German form of the Greek language, Greek Νικόλαος, Nikolaos, (cf. Nicholas), used in Denmark at least since the 16t ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
100,000 GB and VX filled American chemical munitions were stored in 15 concrete bunkers.Mauroni, Albert J. ''Chemical Demilitarization: Public Policy Aspects'',
Google Books
, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, p. 126–28, ().
These munitions were managed by the 330th Ordnance Company (EOD) and guarded by the 110th Military Police Company both headquartered in nearby
Münchweiler an der Rodalb Münchweiler an der Rodalb is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and belongs to the municipal association of Rodalben. The primary industry of the village was that of a shoe manufacturer. It lies on Strass ...
. The propellants for these munitions were stored in Leimen Site 67. The GB and VX munitions had undergone a refurbishment from 1980 to 1982. The weapons in this depot were scheduled to be moved due to an agreement between the United States and West Germany. The 1986 agreement, between
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and Helmut Kohl, provided for the removal of 155 mm and 8 inch unitary chemical projectiles.Broadus, James M., et al. ''The Oceans and Environmental Security: Shared U.S. and Russian Perspectives'',
Google Books
, p. 103, Island Press, 1994, ().


Conversion

The program sponsor, the Military Sealift Command, brought in the prestigious naval architecture firm, George G. Sharp, inc of New York City as project manager to oversee the design-development efforts to modify and outfit the two crane ships for the mission and assigned former Electric Boat submarine engineer Jim Ruggieri, P.E. as project engineer. The vessels were outfitted with a collective protection system – or a positive pressure system used to pressurize the house relative to the cargo hold as a means of preventing inadvertent weapon gas migration in the event of a containment failure; manned Laboratories – to provide a safe and comfortable environment to scientists to perform analyses of the products; unmanned “sniffer” and alarming modules to sample cargo hold air to detect containment failures, as well as detect and alarm positive pressure system failure; power generation modules to supplement ship power and emergency power provisions, and specialized communications modules to permit coordination with security forces.


Operation

Operation Steel Box began on July 26, 1990 and ended on September 22, 1990,Junker, Detlef, et al. ''The United States and Germany in the Era of the Cold War, 1945–1990: A Handbook'',
Google Books
, Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 224, ().
but the weapons did not reach their final destination until November. Pike, John E.
Operation Golden Python/Operation Steel Box
, ''Globalsecurity.org'', accessed November 11, 2008.
The move from the storage facility to an intermediate facility at Miesau utilized trucks and trains, civilian contractors, and U.S. and West German military personnel. The weapons were repacked and shipped by truck from their storage facility until they reached the railway in Miesau. The truck transport portion of the mission involved 28 road convoys which delivered the munitions the 30 miles from Clausen to Miesau. The munitions were carried by special ammunition train from Miesau to the port of Nordenham. The train transport was well publicized and escorted by 80 U.S. and West German military and police vehicles. At the port the munitions were loaded onto two modified ships, the SS ''Gopher State'' and the SS ''Flickertail State'', by the Army's Technical Escort Unit. The ships were operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command, and upon leaving Nordenham they sailed for 46 straight days. The ships arrived at Johnston Atoll and on November 18 unloaded the last of their cargo containers.


Reaction and issues


Security and emergency response

Security and emergency response were both concerns during Steel Box. Besides the police and military escort for the trains, the road convoys had restricted airspace overhead. Along the route, emergency response teams were on stand-by. While the ships were in port U.S. Navy EOD Detachments provided underwater hull sweeps to ensure
limpet mines A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces. A swimmer or diver ...
were not attached to the ships. The 46-day trip at sea was non-stop, with refueling taking place along the route. The ships were also escorted by the U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS ''Bainbridge'' and USS ''Truxtun''. The transport ships avoided the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
, for security reasons, and took the route around
Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
, the tip of
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. There were no reported chemical agent leaks or security breaches during the transport phase of Steel Box.


International reaction

The 1990 shipments of nerve agents from Germany to the
Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) was the U.S. Army's first chemical munitions disposal facility. It was located on Johnston Island, at Johnston Atoll and completed its mission and ceased operation in 2000. Background Prior ...
facility caused several South Pacific nations to express unease. At the 1990
South Pacific Forum The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 197 ...
in
Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
, the island nations of the South Pacific indicated that their concern was that the South Pacific would become a toxic waste dumping ground.Anderson, Ian.
Protests grow over nerve gas disposal
, ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'', August 11, 1990, accessed November 11, 2008.
Other concerns raised included the security of the shipments, which were refueled at sea and escorted by U.S. guided missile destroyers, while they were en route to Johnston Atoll. In Australia, Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
drew criticism from some of these
island nations An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...
for his support of the chemical weapons destruction at Johnston Atoll.Cooper, Andrew Fenton, et al. ''Relocating Middle Powers: Australia and Canada in a Changing World Order'',
Google Books
, UBC Press, 1993, p. 148, (), accessed October 25, 2008.


See also

*
267th Chemical Company The 267th Chemical Company was a military unit of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps responsible for the surety of chemical warfare agents dubbed "RED HAT" deployed to the Islands of Okinawa, Japan and subsequently Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. ...
*
Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and ...
*
Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) was the U.S. Army's first chemical munitions disposal facility. It was located on Johnston Island, at Johnston Atoll and completed its mission and ceased operation in 2000. Background Prior ...
*
Operation Red Hat Operation Red Hat was a United States Department of Defense movement of chemical warfare munitions from Okinawa, Japan to Johnston Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, which occurred in 1971. Background U.S. chemical weapons were brought into Okinawa ...


References

{{U.S. chemical weapons Steel Box Steel Box Steel Box Steel Box Johnston Atoll Palatinate Forest