Dynasafe's Charlie Diggs on safely destroying dangerous munitions

Charlie Diggs, CEO of Dynasafe, has dedicated his career to the safe destruction of hazardous munitions, ranging from chemical weapons to underwater ordnance. In a discussion with Interesting Engineering, Diggs highlights the evolving nature of modern weapons, noting the rise of advanced "smart" munitions alongside the novel use of primitive devices, such as grenades attached to drones in conflicts like the war in Ukraine. Despite technological changes, the fundamental principles of safely destroying energetics remain consistent. However, the global backlog of legacy munitions—including World War I-era weapons and large quantities dumped at sea—presents an ongoing and significant challenge, indicating that the work of neutralizing dangerous ordnance is far from complete. Diggs’s career trajectory shifted from local chemical weapons destruction for the US Army to a global mission after encountering Dynasafe’s technology, which inspired him to address these hazards on a worldwide scale. He emphasizes that engineers often misunderstand the nature of explosives disposal, mistakenly expecting dramatic deton