Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
U.S. Marines put field-expedient charges to work at a demolition range during exercise BALTOPS 26.
by A.R. Fomenko
VIENNA BUREAU — The steel beam lay twisted in the mud outside Skrunda, Latvia, its center torn open by an expedient cratering charge. Moments earlier, it had served as a target during a demolition range demonstration at Baltic Operations 26. The resulting damage showed what a carefully placed charge could do against an obstacle blocking the path of an advancing force.
(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Brady V. Hathaway)
Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2026 is a U.S.-Allied command operation exercise, led by U.S. 6th Fleet with the participation of NATO Allied Joint Force Command and 15 Allied nations. The explosives demonstration was led by U.S. Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
As part of the demonstration, Sgt. Ethan Busenitz, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, placed ammunition on a flexible explosive sheet as Marines prepared the charge. Lance Cpl. Jailin Merrill, a combat engineer, later used a remote detonation device to initiate the blast from a protected position.
Lance Cpl. Jailin Merrill uses a remote detonation device.
The demonstration brought EOD technicians and combat engineers together to practice one of the oldest battlefield requirements: creating a route where an enemy has tried to close one. Expedient charges allow troops to work with available explosives and materials when standard demolition systems are unavailable or unsuitable.
An expedient cratering charge sits on a steel beam.
Against steel, concrete or reinforced obstacles, placement and timing determine whether a blast clears the way or merely scars the target.
READ MORE: Russia’s Field-Expedient Bomb Disposal: 44th Army Corps in Action
BALTOPS 26 drew allied forces into the Baltic region for maritime and land-based training designed to strengthen their ability to operate together. Although the exercise centered on the Baltic Sea, the range at Skrunda addressed the problems troops could encounter after reaching shore.
In Latvia, the Marines turned those problems into something tangible: a charge placed, a signal sent and a steel obstacle ripped apart.
A.R. Fomenko is based out of Soldier of Fortune’s Vienna Bureau.
