At the end of the 1965, there were 99 sentry dogs in the Viet Nam. By September 1966 more than 500 dog teams had been deployed to ten Air Force Bases bases. The dogs in the Viet Nam War (scout, tracker, and sentry) were so feared by the Viet Cong forces, that a bounty was placed on dog teams. Interesting enough, the bounty was higher on the dog than the handler. Today, patrol dogs are still trained to alert their handlers to the presence of enemy personnel. Some dogs receive additional training to enable them to detect booby traps, mines, or other explosive devices. Other dogs are trained to search for and locate hidden contraband in the military's drug intervention program. But the USAF still recognizes the need for patrol dogs. A special unit was created at Moody Air Force Base. This concept is basically an updated version of the Vietnam war "Project Safeside". This newly formed Security Police Squadron received intensive infantry training & heavy weapons training. Safeside was a test of the AF Security Polices ability to hold their own against Communist forces. The unit provided all aspects of air base ground defense against the VC forces for a newly built air base (Phu Cat Air Base, RVN). This included USAF handlers working scout dogs, leading their own patrols. Survival of the base was the goal of the test. All attacks were defeated. The modern day unit (824th Security Forces Squadron) trains year round between deployments. In the 70's the USAF had over 1,800 dogs, now the number has dropped to under 550 dogs. Now, international commitments are met by deploying troops from stateside bases. A Kennelmaster told Bill Cummings (Ex U-Tapao dog handler), that one day he will have 7 dogs teams assigned, the next day 3 teams are gone. Multiple deployments to Iraq is the tool used to provide manpower. This is causing many handlers to leave the military. They are simply tired of being away from their families. Months of deployments are often being followed by another deployment or a overseas assignment. This has been caused by several factors: (1) The politicians use of military force as a substitute for diplomatic solutions. (2) The reduction of funding for the military by the same politicians have caused massive shortages in personnel, equipment, and reduced training. The deployments in the past have not been properly funded by Congress. Funds for training & equipment were used for these peace keeping missions. They are truly the best we have to offer! Photo Above: TSgt Timothy Miller & Patrol Dog Marco (first dog team in Afghanistan). Photo taken at the entrance to Bagram Air Base, located outside Kabul.
US Air Force Personnel Levels Active Duty Military Personnel Strength Levels Fiscal
Years 1950-2002
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