Private Military Dogs

The British media reported this week some interesting statistics about military serving dogs and incidentally touched a little researched subject: private military dogs. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) disclosed that about 11,000 dogs work across all sectors of the armed forces. Since 2009, about 350-370 of them have been put down. Back in 2012, the media reported a figure of over 800 military dogs put down over the previous decade. Some reasons given by MOD for putting down dogs are dangerous temperament, cancer-related problems, and injuries. Truth is, exact statistics about dog deaths are not likely to be kept, as the life and death of a military service dog is possibly not a top priority for MOD and something we have not been paying attention to. Nevertheless, it seems relevant to remember that dogs in (public and private) military service have saved countless of lives and undertake that would be lethal for humans –though their handlers are evidently exposed to constant risks. Notably, these services include the detection of improvised explosive devices (IED) and mines in Afghanistan, Iraq, the wider Middle East and many other locations worldwide, including the UK. Our K9 serving  friends play a remarkable role that should not be underestimated.

Now, have in mind the figure of 11,000 public service dogs just in the UK and try to extrapolate that figure to the private sector, globally! Just between the leading suppliers of private military and security personnel (the U.S., the UK, South Africa, and Israel) there must be at least 20,000 private military serving dogs. Here, please remember that private mine clearance and IED detection are two areas that took off during the first Gulf War and have exploded over the last decade. How many private military service dogs are currently on service? What is the life expectancy of a deployed dog? How many dogs die in service and how many are put down? Are dogs put down sometimes due to economic reasons? What are the minimum welfare standards for both public and private military serving dogs? Quite simply we do not have answers for questions like these, but it is perhaps time we start researching and debating the topic systematically.

Rebellion in Mali, al-Shabaad resurgent, fundamentalism spreading in north and central Africa, etc

Yes, economically speaking Africa is progressing. Yet, in parallel, many corners of Africa appear to be descending into chaos. We have mentioned already in some social networks that extremism is on the rise in a manner never seen before in Africa. Rebellion in many parts of the continent has been a constant, but never so intrinsically linked to terrorist and criminal networks. Please, go and grab a map of Africa or open one in your browser. The Arab Spring countries in the north have so many unresolved political problems that are spreading to adjacent regions and entering Europe via growing refugee communities poorly integrated into mainstream society by the respective host countries. In the East of Africa, we find a resurgent al-Shabaab and other groups inspired by al-Qaeda ideology spreading their influence to the south and the east. Criminal activity, notably piracy and the kidnapping industry, overlaps terrorism and fundamentalism both east and west. Nigeria is fast becoming a country were this lethal mix is becoming commonplace. Maritime piracy is fast growing in the west coast of Africa too. Drug trafficking organizations have also found that the area appears to be a good transit hub for traffic between South America and Europe. Add also all the many rebellions in countries like the Congo and the Central African Republic and criminal violence in South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. We have identified at least twenty concerning trends of criminal and terrorist activity in the continent that remain unchecked as they rarely make the headlines. A grand strategy is needed here before violence in Africa reaches a point of no return. When that happens, peacekeepers and/or Private Military Companies will be unable to contain the escalating mayhem.