(PUEBLO, Colo.) — The Pueblo Chemical Depot got a new commander Thursday morning,
where about 100 people showed up for his swearing-in ceremony on the Depot Parade Grounds.
Colonel Rodney McCutcheon assumes the position of the 40th commander to oversee the depot, following an investigation that led to the suspension of the previous commander, Colonel Jason Lacroix. However, McCutcheon’s instatement has nothing to do with LaCroix’s suspension.
According to the public affairs specialist for the depot, plans have been in place for McCutcheon to take over well before that investigation.
McCutcheon says he has big shoes to fill: “I’m the 40th commander for this organization. So I have to take all of that information, all of that lineage, all that legacy.”
After seven years, the Pueblo Chemical Depot is finished with its mission of destroying its stockpile of chemical weapons, and will now embark on its decommissioning stage. The focus of McCutcheon’s term is overseeing the plant’s shutdown.
“Now it’s time to transition this organization, this facility, this depot, over to other responsible folks… We’re all about transitioning equipment and people in the right way to go do great things for the rest of the United States of America,” said McCutcheon.
Along with McCutcheon’s family, many military leaders and notable politicians were in attendance, including Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar, Senator Michael Bennett, and Representative Lauren Boebert. The Director of U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity, Kelso C. Horne III, lead the ceremony, praising McCutcheon for his previous work in agent destruction operations.
“Not only had he accounted perfectly for every chemical weapon in storage, but he brought key stakeholders together to synchronize and negotiate the best path forward to achieve the beginning of chemical demilitarization operations,” said Horne.
McCutcheon’s term runs through 2025. As commander, he says safety will be a priority in the depot’s final years.
“Everything about what we do is about being safe and working around dangerous kind of environment. So that whole culture, that whole climate just goes across the organization,” said McCutcheon.
The depot’s closure is expected to be complete by December 2025. As for the investigation into Lacroix, the army reports that it is still ongoing, and will release information about his suspension when the investigation is concluded.
