UFF AND READY: MILITARY WORKING DOGS SERVE UNIQUE ROLES
KARLI GOLDENBERG, STAFF WRITER
Monday, April 1, 2024
Every Year, An Elite Group Of Recruits Arrives At Joint Base San Antonio For An Intensive Training Program And Evaluation—All Before The Recruits Turn 1 Year Old.
These 50 to 90 puppy candidates are Belgian Malinois, a smart, confident and versatile breed of dog similar to the more compact German shepherd. They are trained and evaluated by the Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron, which is responsible for training military working dogs for all the services and the Defense Department. Alongside fellow canine recruits from global breeders, these dogs are an essential part of the U.S. Army’s military working dog teams.
Combined with skilled Army military working dog handlers, these teams “provide a valuable asset to military police, combined arms, DoD, and other governmental agencies,” according to Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 3-39.10: Police Operations, dated August 2021.
When asked about the value of military working dogs, Sgt. Maj. Viridiana Lavalle, Army Military Working Dog Program manager at the Office of the Provost Marshal General in Washington, D.C., cites a quote from now-retired Gen. David Petraeus, who at the time commanded Multi-National Force-Iraq.
https://www.ausa.org/articles/ruff-and-ready-military-working-dogs-serve-unique-roles
