UXO Turns Up At Construction Site

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Construction workers found two UXO items in soil that was excavated from a remote area of the installation. The UXO was found when the soil was off-loaded from the dump truck. One UXO was identified as an old 60mm high explosive (HE) mortar. The identity of the second UXO was not reported. EOD responded to the incident and safely disposed of the two items. It is unknown if the excavation site where the soil originated from is a known operational range or a munitions response site. If so, the area should have been swept first prior to excavation.

What Not To Do If you Find Explosives At a Car Dealership

Great Falls, Montana A woman reportedly found an explosive charge used in the mining industry at a car dealership where she works. Instead of calling police, the woman decided to take the item home to show it to her husband. The husband in return brought the item to the Great Falls Police Station that same evening.

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U.S. Munitions Supplier Under Investigation

New York An American based munitions dealer (AEY, Inc) is under investigation for allegedly selling illegal and obsolete munitions to Afghanistan military and police forces. AEY Inc, run by a 22 year-old man, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan's Army and police forces when they were awarded a $300M contract last January. However, instead of selling new and approved weapons and munitions, the company was reportedly selling decades-old ammunition from the former communist bloc as well as cartridges manufactured in China.

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Major Agreement for Vieques Cleanup Finalized

The following article was posted on an EPA Website related to Vieques.

The EPA announced today the finalization of a federal facility inter-agency agreement (FFA) with several agencies and jurisdictions for the cleanup of portions of the Island of Vieques and its surrounding waters. The agreement is between EPA, the U.S. Department of Navy, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and it lays out the roles that the various agencies will play as the cleanup continues. EPA's Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg was joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Donald R. Schregardus, as well as Carlos W. López Freytes, President of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board and Susan Silander, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Leader for the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, at EPA's offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico to mark the finalization of the agreement.

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DU Testing Continues to be a Source of International Debate

Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland A series of tests involving the firing of 20 armor piercing projectiles completed earlier this month marked the last planned firing of DU at the Duncrennan range. The recent limited DU testing stirred up a tremendous amount of controversy and debate between environmental groups and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that reunited a seven year old debate over potential environmental impacts from DU.

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Lanscaper Finds UXO and Places It Into Wet Cement

Whitby, United Kingdom A landscape contractor came across an unexploded anti-aircraft shell while digging in a garden. Unsure exactly what to do with his new find, the man decided to place the unexploded round in a bucket of wet cement before calling the Authorities.

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Postal Service Considering Ban on Inert Munitions Shipping

Washington, D.C. The Postal Service is proposing new standards to prohibit the mailing of replica or inert munitions and other simulated explosive devices. The proposed ban is meant to ensure the safety of postal employees as well as to minimize disruptions. In 2006 alone, the Postal Service recorded 849 suspicious incidents involving mail that exhibited characteristics of possible explosives. Postal facilities were evacuated on 100 separate occasions due to these occurrences. Postal Inspectors or local emergency first responders reacted to each of these occurrences to assess the items which resulted in budget impacts as well as creating unnecessary stress for employees.

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Apartment Building Inadvertently Hit By Practice Bomb

Tulsa, Oklahoma An Air National Guard plane en route to the Smokey Hill Gunnery Range in Salina, Kansas accidentally dropped a BDU-33 practice bomb shortly after taking off. The BDU 33 reportedly hit the foundation of an apartment building within the Canyon Creek apartment complex causing minor damage. No one was injured by the incident.

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Demilitarization Process Suspected of Causing Explosion at Ammunition Depot

Tirana, Albania 16 people were killed when a series of explosions occurred at an ammunition storage depot. The exact cause of the incident is unknown but Authorities suspect that it may have occurred as a result of on-going demilitarization operations involving large artillery projectiles.

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Large WWII Era Weapons Cache Found

Zhengzhou, China a large cache of discarded unexploded munitions from the WWII era were found at a construction site in the capital of the Henan Province. A total of 1,320 unexploded grenades, bombs, and mortars were recovered in all. Authorities suspect that the weapons were buried by the Japanese Army during the 1940s. A underground gas pipeline was located less than 1 foot away from the cache so extreme care had to be taken during the removal process. Authorities plan to dispose of the unexploded discarded munitions at a safe place long the bank of the Yellow River.

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