Pinrang, South Sulawesi Indonesia An antique collector using a metal detector in Malimpung Village discovered a 50-kilogram unexploded aircraft bomb, prompting an emergency response from local authorities. The UXO, believed to be a remnant of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during WWII, was found buried approximately 50 centimeters underground.

Upon being notified of the discovery, the South Sulawesi Police Mobile Brigade's Gegana bomb disposal unit deployed to the site. Under police security, bomb disposal personnel secured the area and successfully neutralized the hazard by conducting three separate controlled detonations.

[More]

Bald Head Island, North Carolina Local authorities responded to the discovery of a suspected UXO near Beach Access 35 on Bald Head Island. Village Public Safety officials immediately established a protective cordon around the area, allowing EOD technicians to safely perform an on-site controlled detonation to eliminate the hazard.

The emergence of legacy munitions is a known occurrence on the island, stemming from its historical military footprint during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. Shifting sands caused by coastal storms, tidal changes, and routine dredging operations frequently expose these long-buried munitions along the shoreline.

[More]

Paignton, United Kingdom Royal Navy EOD personnel were called to a local British Heart Foundation retail store after a piece of suspected military ordnance was accidentally handed in with a batch of civilian donations.

Specialist from the Royal Navy's Bravo Squadron EOD, based at HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, responded to the scene and identified the object as a live British 3-inch HE mortar. After conducting an initial assessment and determining the item was safe to move, the EOD team carefully transported the munition away from the populated commercial area.

[More]

Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments recently regarding an environmental legal challenge to the U.S. Air Force's ongoing practice of utilizing open detonation to dispose of UXO on the Pacific island of Guam.

The case, Department of Air Force v. Guahan, centers on a 2021 permit renewal application submitted by the Air Force to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. The permit allows the military to continue destroying legacy munitions, including World War II-era explosives, at an isolated beach facility on the island's northeastern coast. Environmental groups filed suit to halt the operations, arguing that the disposal site sits atop Guam's primary drinking water aquifer and holds cultural significance. The plaintiffs also contend that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Air Force to formally evaluate alternative disposal technologies and solicit public input rather than defaulting to open detonation.

[More]

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California MCAS Miramar has launched a firstofitskind wildfireprevention experiment, 471 goats are now grazing across the base's rugged East Miramar training area to clear dense, fireprone vegetation.

The pilot program, "Operation Goat Rope", began September 15 and marks the first prescribed grazing effort on a U.S. military installation. The allfemale herd of SpanishBoer crossbreeds, supplied by Shepherdess Land and Livestock, is tasked with reducing invasive grasses across an initial 600acre zone, including areas too dangerous or inaccessible for human crews due to steep terrain and active EOD ranges.

Base officials say goats offer a safer, environmentally friendly alternative to heavy machinery, which can damage habitat and threaten the near dozen endangered species living on MCAS Miramar. Col. Erik Herrmann, Commanding Officer of MCAS Miramar, said, "Bringing the goats in is much better than bringing in heavy machinery that's going to trample a lot of those protected areas."

[More]

St. Leonard, Maryland Maryland State Police issued a warning to residents around Flag Harbor Beach in St. Leonard to stay clear and expect a large "boom," as US Navy EOD responded to a potential military ordnance that washed ashore.

The Calvert County Sheriff's Office first reported that a gray cylinder had been found on the beach. Maryland State Police bomb technicians and the EOD unit arrived to carry out a controlled detonation of the unidentified ordnance. The Sheriff's Office issued an all clear following the disposal operations.

Similar activity was reported last month, after a military-labeled canister marked "U.S. Military" and "phosphorus" washed ashore near the Calvert Beach boat ramp in Saint Leonard.

There was no further information and the beach was quickly reopened.