An 
explosive ordnance disposal team from the US naval station at Yokosuka, Japan, on Wednesday detonated a World War II-era bomb discovered near the fitness center at nearby Yokota Air Base. USAF civil engineers aided the sailors, who detonated the device using plastic explosives. Workers excavating a construction site near Yokota’s fitness center had unearthed the bomb on Tuesday, prompting evacuation of the site. The bomb was packed with an estimated 110 pounds of explosive. “I want to thank all of our emergency responders and the Yokosuka EOD team for their successful efforts to defuse the situation,” said Col. Bill Knight, vice commander of Yokota’s 374th Airlift Wing. “Their skillful handling enabled an expedient and safe disposal operation,” he added. It is not clear whether the bomb was a dud dropped on the former Japanese base during World War II, or a training round buried since, reported Stars and Stripes. (Yokota release)
The Space Force is finalizing its first contracts for the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve and plans to award them early in 2025—giving the service access to commercial satellites and other space systems in times of conflict or crisis—officials said Nov. 21.