Rabaul, Papua New Guinea Over 150 military EOD and explosives experts from the Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force, and Papua New Guinea Defence Force are participating in "Operation Render Safe". The focus of the project is to clear UXO and explosive debris from the surface and shoreline of Rabaul Island, a former major WWII era Japanese Naval Base. Although the Japanese Base was never captured by the Allies, it was heavily bombed during the war. A large percentage of the bombs dropped reportedly did not explode.

The UXO clearance operation was planned after a detailed report presented at the 42nd Pacific Forum summit held in September outlined the dangers and explosives safety risks posed by UXO in the area. New Zealand dispatched two naval ships, HMNZ Resolution and Wellington, to Papua New Guinea Island to support operations.

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Salt Lake City, Utah A passenger aboard a commercial flight caused the delay of numerous flights after four landmines were found in his luggage at Salt Lake City International Airport. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Officials say the landmines bought as souvenirs by a member of the military who had been doing training at a military base in Utah were inert. Although flights were delayed over 20 minutes during the initial response, the TSA does not plan to press charges against the passenger carrying the landmines and he was allowed to continue flying after it was confirmed that the landmines were indeed inert.

Monmouth, Oregon A dairy farmer looking for a lost cow stumbled across a live projectile 500 yards from a road. The farmer reported the find to the police. The Polk County Sherriff's Office responded with technical support from the Salem Bomb Squad. When the bomb squad identified the threat as a live high explosive military munition, the military was called. The Air Force sent an EOD team to dispose of the projectile which was reported to contain 15-pounds of TNT.

The shell was found in an area that was once a training range which was part of Camp Adair, now in the Formerly Used Defense Site program. The shell was safely disposed of without incident by the EOD unit. There has been no word yet on whether the farmer has found his cow.

Ranlo, North Carolina A man searching for scrap metal in a dry creek bed in the woods near a residential neighborhood found a 500-pound bomb. The man called the police to report the find. Ranlo police responded and decided to use a backhoe to relocate the bomb to an open area where it could be investigated further. The police then called the Army for technical support.

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Kent, United Kingdom Two fisherman aboard the fishing vessel 'Wayward Lad' pulled up a WWII era sea mine in their nets. The men decided the strap the munition to the boat deck before heading back towards the shore. One the way to shore, they called the Coastguard to report the unusual find. The Coastguard contacted the Royal Navy for technical support. An EOD team was dispatched from Portsmouth to deal with the munition. The EOD team met the fishing vessel a mile from the Isle of Grain.

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Edison, New Jersey A construction crew working in the Raritan Center office-industrial park unearthed an unexploded shell. Workers called the police who responded with the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad. The bomb squad safely removed the round for disposal. The area where the munition was found is a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) used as a munitions depot from 1917 till 1963 when the property was transferred for development.

Anacortes, Washington A 322-foot barge loaded with cargo being towed by a tug through the Rosario straight ran aground. The barge was loaded with 100 containers of supplies including explosive ordnance for the Navy's munition facility on Indian Island. Specific details of the munitions load onboard the barge were not released but estimates reported the munitions load at 9,000 pounds net explosive weight.

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Sheppy, England In less than two weeks time, 26 munition items have reportedly washed ashore along the shoreline in Leysdown. The first of the 26 munitions was discovered by local resident who took a picture of the item with his cell phone (see below) which also provided the GPS coordinates of the munition. The resident provided this information to the police who responded along with the Coastguard.

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