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Posted By Thomas E. Ricks
Friday, November 5, 2010 - 7:40 AM
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By Rebecca Frankel
Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent
President Barack Obama flies off on his big trip to Asia this week, and traveling with him, among others, will be 30 bomb-sniffing military dogs.
Working security detail for the president has its perks -- these dogs will be traveling in style, staying in 5-star hotels where they can receive the kind of proper care they need, including special diet food sent ahead from home and a temperature-regulated environment to help the dogs adjust to a new climate.
Some of these reports of the dog detail traveling with the president -- like others alleging that the cost of Obama's trip is a $200 million per day expense -- seem a little sketchy.
But according to an English-language website based in India, a source inside the Mumbai travel agency arranging transportation for Obama's service detail told reporters that the preparations for Obama's sniffing dogs have been in the works for months when prior to the trip, the U.S. consulate "asked for more than 10 customised cars for dogs during the president's visit" to apparently "move with the president's convoy. …"
The cars, apparently, had to be specially outfitted: "For the comfort of the dogs, the back seats in the cars were removed and the interiors were refurbished to ensure they [sic] were no sharp edges." The source added, "Never before, have we seen such VIP treatment for animals."
It seems the arrival of one U.S. military dog in Obama's bomb-sniffing troop to India -- allegedly named "Khan" -- is already causing something of a media storm.
Yes, we Khan!
PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images
KKKKKKKKKHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!
Obama is Traveling with Muslim Dogs?!
Well that's what I heard.
No wonder why I drink...
Did the dogs request Beamers or Posches?
Will they be allowed to stick their heads and tongues out the windows while cruising Mumbai?
What happens if one of the 30 decides to lift a leg on the Prime Minister's pant leg?
Is there a Secret Sevice Pooper Scooper Unit?
Do they have curry favored biscuits in India?
TGIF
ok, a little background on bomb sniffing dogs. You need to provide them with some extra "comfort" so they can perform their jobs. Dogs are not like humans, you can't just tell them to drink some more water and work harder...and they are not pets who can just jump in the car seat next to you. They need air conditioned spaces, and room in each vehicle. The handler rides with each dog, and yes you need lots of them, especially in a hot weather place like India. With high temp/humidity, you will probably only get 15 minutes of an hour from any given dog before they can not sniff something out. Ditto if they are distracted (hence the special space).
If any of you get a chance to stop by the kennals on a military post, do so, talk to the handlers, it can be very illuminating on what the dogs require.
I was joking. Except for the TGIF part.
TGIF indeed...I think the whole security thing was blown way out of proportion. The amont he brings also depends on the amount available where he is going...e.g not the same security in Mumbai as in Western Europe...also, when using K9, they often tap into what is in the local area, in Europe or Korea, he can use military K9 stationed there, you go to Mumbai, you bring it with you.
Maybe the Secret Service dog company can partner with allies
We keep talking about integrating everyone from Ag to Education into the war effort. How about the well funded SS contributing some of their spare capacity?
I read that some of Karzai's governors have survived multiple assassination attempts. The life expectancy of an honest police chief must be something like a 2nd LT at Wanat. It might be easier for the people we want to take over (over there) to get a shura together if being near the gov wasn't an act of imminent bravery.
50 dogs is nothing. Afghanistan is a 50,000 dog problem, maybe 500,000 fro GWOT, especially if we keep marching armies in and out of other folks countries.
Back on Tom's topic, it had never occurred to me that the next attempted assassination of a US President by domestic opponents might occur on foreign soil. I was hearing dire talk of succession by extreme prejudice from upstate Michigan, before Obama even won the election.
what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Soldier, I presume you're referencing the last paragraph?
Negative information is an accomplishment, if not a compliment. I'm willing to share my point award with you. Can you be a bit specific about what annoyed you so? I found your earlier comment quite common-sensible- the second like a raw nerve spasm.
Re my first 4 paragraphs, correct 50 to 30.
If you've read my past comments on Rebecca's dogs, I've been asking for information on whether we're enabling ANA or ISF dog handlers. You seem knowledgeable; anything on training/equipping our local allies for canine ops?
Legions of locals raising and fielding thousands of their own dogs is the sort effort that will get us out of the boots/paws on the ground end of these wars. That's what I'd want for my daughter's school, if I was born over there. Not hundreds of US army, marine and navy dog handlers that are gone in a year.
Heh, He's not refering to your post
He's referencing Billy Madison. Awesome. Shampoooooooo is bettah.
Okay, a simple "wrong" would've done just fine.
WW: yeah, just making a funny movie reference, Hunter got it.
laughs on me, but my question to you was serious
What evidence can you (or anyone) offer that we are standing up robust canine capacity within the ANA, or ISF for that matter. Now that the bomb-terror genie is out of the bottle, as in Iraq, the draw-down of US-NATO forces isn't going to return it to pre-war levels.
A lot is written here at BD and elsewhere about our local allied leadership not having confidence in our staying power. Much less is said about the way we accept the insecurity of local forces, while taking expensive measures (video drone overwatch, armored rides, canine bomb detection and electronic countermeasures) to protect our foreign legions.
On a COIN level, one of the keys to keeping friendlies from going postal, or just getting mean with prisoners and suspects, is casualty prevention for friendly patrols and bases. K-9 security. When I look at the flip side, protecting the key man in friendly forces is more valuable to securing victory than protecting a NATO soldier who is going home soon anyway.
US troops have a history of individually risking their lives to pull a local partner out of danger, but the press and the big army thinking I hear tends to accept high attrition among under-equipped local forces as just the cost of doing business.
I can not speak for the ANA, but as far as Iraq, from what I saw there really is not a robust canine capacity...hell there EOD techniques sometimes relate to driving to a package/IED and shooting at it until it blows up.
I will ask some friends who are still over there and working with the local police and army what they can tell me, and get back to you on the next War Dog of the Week Post.
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