Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

The article focuses on the complex and long process of liquidating the world's chemical weapons stockpiles under the control and supervision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, headquartered in The Hague. The main possessors of chemical weapons from the end of World War II until their complete destruction were the United States of America and the Russian Federation (formerly the Soviet Union). The process of destroying chemical weapons by the main owners is described in detail. Surprisingly, the completion of the destruction of chemical weapons in the Russian Federation was announced already in 2017, while the United States of America announced the completion of the destruction of its chemical weapons only in mid-2023. A significant fact remains that in 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was highly honoured by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The last part contains official announcements about the end of destruction of chemical weapons in the world.