Theodore M. Prociv
Theodore M. Prociv (Ted) is President and CEO of Versar, Inc.. He joined the firm in 1999 and was named CEO a year later.
Prociv is a member of the Advisory Board at Centech Group, Inc. and the Society of American Military Engineers.
"Dr. Prociv was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Army (Chemical Demilitarization), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development and Acquisition ). He was responsible for oversight of the entire US chemical weapons destruction program, a $14.9 billion life-cycle program, consisting of the chemical weapons stockpile disposal program, the alternative technologies and approaches project, and the non-stockpile (production facilities and equipment) disposal program. His duties included oversight of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment Program for the Army Acquisition Executive.
"Dr. Prociv was responsible for oversight of all chemical and biological programs within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His duties included formulation of policy and strategy for the implementation of the chemical demilitarization and the chemical and biological defense programs in support of national needs.
"Before joining the Department of Defense, Dr. Prociv served as the Corporate Vice President of Environmental market and developing business opportunities in NATO countries. Before joining SAIC, Dr. Prociv was the Vice President, Government Systems, at Battelle Memorial Institute. He was Battelle's corporate leader and strategist for developing project opportunities, particularly in the area of nuclear, chemical, and biological defense, and in the destruction of chemical weapons.
"He served as an officer in the U.S. Army assigned to the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds as a research chemist responsible for developing the analytical methodologies to confirm the destruction of toxic materials.
"Dr. Prociv received a Bachelor of Science Degree in General Chemistry from Widener University, a Masters of Arts Degree in Organic Chemistry from Hunter College, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the City University of New York. He published over 20 technical articles pertaining to chemical agent technology.
"Dr. Prociv was associated with the following professional associations: Dayton Engineers Club, Board of Governors, Wright State University, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, External Advisory Board, The International Engineering and Science Hall of Fame, Board Member; American Defense Preparedness Association, Chemical Operations Division, Steering Committee; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Association of Chemical Officers; and advisor to the US Air Force Science Advisory Board, Division Advisory Group."
Source: The Centech Group, Inc.Centech Group, Inc. web site.
Headlines & News Stories
Common Sense. A Newsletter of the Chemical Weapons Working Group Published by the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, June 1999: "CWWG reveals evidence that the Army hid funds for non-incineration technology demonstrations."
"The Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG) this month exposed an internal Army document showing that Deputy Secretary of the Army for Chemical Demilitarization, Dr. Theodore Prociv, falsely told members of Congress, the media and community groups that no more federal money was available to demonstrate non-incineration technologies for chemical weapons disposal. The group is calling for the resignation of Dr. Prociv, who for almost a year maintained that no money was available from his agency, when in fact around $400 million in unspent and unobligated funds was on hand. Based on this information, the CWWG wrote to Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera and asked that he demand Dr. Prociv's resignation.
"The alternative technologies program, called the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) program, was created in response to a 1996 Congressional mandate to identify and demonstrate at least two non-incineration chemical weapons disposal methods. In May 1998 ACWA announced that six such technologies had passed its technical criteria, making the disposal systems eligible to move to the demonstration phase. However, an alleged $25 million funding shortfall meant that only three technologies moved forward into that phase. Numerous efforts by Congress to shake loose the funds from the Departments of Defense and the Army failed.
"Then this Spring the CWWG obtained a February 1999 internal memo from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OSD) which stated that the OSD had been 'trying to reconcile the reported execution performance of the Chem/Demil program with the contention that there is no funding flexibility available to cover urgent emerging requirements.' Following a review of the chemical disposal program's financial records, an OSD Comptroller wrote up his findings. Statements from this memo include:
- "'After no more than a couple of hours of the standard kabuki dance it became evident to all that [the chemical demilitarization program managers] were banking money.'
- "'The first two Research and Development documents we looked at reflected [activities] to hide excess FY 1998 funds.'
- "'When it comes to the Procurement funds it is like drilling for oil in Saudi Arabia.'
- "'In the world of Operations and Maintenance what they are doing is almost criminal.'
"The CWWG believes the withholding of funds from the ACWA technology demonstrations is a major link in a chain of attempts by some Army officials to undermine the alternative technology program. CWWG Director Craig Williams said,
- "'For months Dr. Prociv told Congress, ACWA participants, state regulators, local elected officials and the public saying the money is just not there. Now there is evidence that statement is false. In order for the chemical weapons disposal program to move forward with any integrity, Dr. Prociv should step down.'
"On June 8, 1999, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), author of the legislation which created the ACWA program, stated on the Senate floor that the 'Department of Defense has consistently ignored Congressional directive and intent' in regards to the ACWA program, and that 'there is no truth to the assertion that there were not sufficient funds available to allow for demonstration of all viable alternatives" to chemical weapons incineration.
"The Senate Defense Appropriations Committee Report for fiscal year 2000 reads 'The Committee is concerned with the lack of oversight afforded the [chemical weapons program] within the executive branch. In a review of the program's funding, the Committee discovered that funds had systematically been obligated without being expended and in some instances funds were unobligated. Rather than facing a shortfall in funding, the program had over $200 million of Operations and Maintenance funds unexpended at the end of fiscal year 1998.'
"Citizens at chemical weapons stockpile sites were outraged to hear that funding may have been available for all six ACWA demonstrations. In a letter to Senator McConnell, Richmond, Kentucky Citizens Advisory Commission Co- chair and ACWA program participant Doug Hindman said 'I have to question whether he has managed [the ACWA program] fairly in the past or can fairly manage it in the future.'
"Brenda Lindell, founding member of the Alabama group Families Concerned About Nerve Gas Incineration, said in a letter to Alabama Rep. Bob Riley, 'I am furious that by this lying and deceit [Prociv] has potentially sabotaged the ACWA program. Prociv does not have the integrity to be over, or even involved in, the program.'"
"Khamisiyah Investigation: Operation Bury The Truth", November 5, 2002: "In a report published in April this year, the U.S Department of Defence (DoD) admitted that chemical weapons were present at Khamisiyah, a giant Iraqi munitions bunker destroyed by US troops during the Gulf War."
"...During a Congressional inquiry into activites at Khamisiyah, undersecretary for Defence, Dr. Theodore M.Prociv is quoted in the report as saying 'All the chemical agents and related equipment were found stored at locations a great distance from the KTO.'
"But Khamisiyah is in the KTO!
"Dr. Theodore is later contradicted by another DoD official at the hearing: 'It is not correct to say that all munitions were found far from the KTO,' the official stated."
Security Specialist Finds New Popularity after Anthrax
"When Ted Prociv got a call from the U.S. Defense Dept. in 1994 to take a top job in its chemical and biological defense program, that area of the Pentagon had a multi-billion-dollar budget but was considered an agency backwater and hardly a career builder.
"Nearly a decade later, the niche now is front and center, and the Ph.D. chemist has parlayed good experience and great connections into a more recent role as president and CEO of Versar Inc., a Springfield, Va., engineering firm that has boomed along with the national obsession over chemical and biological security."
