A Marine's Best Friend: Service plans to expand its use of dogs to detect IEDs, weapons

摘要

In the fight against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the Marine Corps is calling on man's best friend to be a frontline weapon of choice. During the next two years, the service will dramatically expand its explosive-hunting canine capability, according to the Corps' Military Working Dog (MWD) program manager. Dogs have proved to be better and more reliable at detecting IEDs than many electronic sensors, and they can clear a potentially dangerous area more quickly than a robotic sensor, Marine Corps officials said. There is a growing awareness among all the service branches that MWDs can be used in ways other than traditional police work, such as guarding and sniffing for drugs or contraband.