A U.S. Navy trained dolphin named Tan, seen above, searches for an 1800s-era torpedo in San Diego Bay.
Don Bartletty | Los Angeles Times | getty images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday rejected the idea that Iran could weaponize marine mammals in the Strait of Hormuz as a war with Iran continues as he fielded a question about the possible use of “kamikaze dolphins.”
Experts say the idea is not as far-fetched as it seems. Many countries, including the US, have a history of using dolphins in conflict zones, although not as weapons.
“I can’t confirm or deny whether or not we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm that they don’t,” Hegseth said. briefing.
Hegseth’s comments came in response to news reports about the possibility. The Wall Street Journal reported On April 30, Iranian officials said Iran could use “mine-carrying dolphins” to attack US warships. It is not clear whether Iran has that capability.
The term “kamikaze” was popularized during World War II for pilots who flew suicide missions to their targets.
The U.S. Office of Naval Information declined to comment further, referring Hegseth’s Tuesday briefing to CNBC.
The Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked during the war, and on Sunday, President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom,” an operation to free ships stuck in the strait since the beginning of the conflict. Hegseth described the new mission as separate from “Operation Epic Fury”, the war the US and Israel launched on February 28. He said US forces would not need to enter Iranian waters or airspace to carry out the operation.
This week’s latest attacks on key waterways have reignited fears that the impact on the global economy will worsen. Although an official ceasefire between the US and Iran remains in place, Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates and the US said it sank Iranian boats in the strait on Monday.
“Right now, the ceasefire certainly holds, but we are monitoring very closely,” Hegseth said.
Dolphins have a long history of military use
US Marines with Dolphins trained to search for mines, port of Umm Qasr, Iraq.
AP
Since 1959, the US Navy’s Marine Mammal Program has trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions Detect mines and other underwater hazardsAccording to the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, a research and engineering laboratory for the U.S. Navy, monitoring and detecting and recovering objects in the ocean.
“Dolphins have been used in (military) exercises around the world,” he said Scott SavitzA senior engineer at a global policy think tank RAND Corporation, and experts in mine countermeasures.
Savitz said that during the Vietnam War, the Navy trained dolphins to detect swimmers and divers who were trying to reach military facilities. He said the mammals had also played a “vital role” in detecting and clearing naval mines from the port of Umm Qasr during the Iraq War in 2003.
According to Savitz, both dolphins and sea lions are “exceptional” at detecting underwater objects. Sea lions are typically used to locate and recover objects in “cluttered” waters due to their excellent underwater vision, he said, while dolphins use echolocation or biosonar to search for naval mines in open water.
K-Dog, a bottlenose dolphin belonging to Commander Task Unit (CTU-55.4.3), leaps out of the water in front of Sergeant Andrew Garrett during training near the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) operating in the Arabian Gulf, March 18, 2003.
US Navy Brian Aho reuters
Dolphin biosonar is often more accurate Compared to electronic sonar, according to the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. Savitz said, “They can not only detect objects, but distinguish them with greater facility than the machines we have been able to develop for this purpose.”
The Soviet Navy also trained Dolphins for defense during the Cold War, although the unit was transferred to Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union. an npr report By 2022, citing an analysis by US Naval Institute News. The Russian military reportedly revived its Dolphin program after this Defense of Ukraine seizes dolphins During the occupation of Crimea in 2014. In 2022, satellite imagery Two dolphin pens identified In Sevastopol port, the analysis found.
Dolphin ‘challenge’ of military efforts
Experts say the use of dolphins in military operations raises complex questions – not only about whether countries like Iran have trained marine animals, but also whether they have developed the expertise to work effectively with them.
“It’s a challenge for humans to learn how to best work with dolphin capabilities,” Savitz said.
The question, he said, is not “whether the Iranians might have physical animals with some training, but rather whether the Iranians have trained themselves to work with dolphins”.
According to Chris Jenks, research professor of law at Southern Methodist University, few protections exist for animals in armed conflict, although there are some legal strategies based on international humanitarian law that can be used.
A representative of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals referred CNBC to the organization. normal situation On military animals. The nonprofit “recognizes the value” of animals to military operations, but said “animals should not be unnecessarily put at risk or sacrificed in the service of our country.”
According to the ASPCA’s site, “Military animals must be humanely trained and maintained responsibly, and the commitment to the animals’ well-being must extend beyond the period of military service.”
Savitz said he has worked with the marine mammal program “on and off” for 25 years. “The dolphins and sea lions love this program,” he said.
“They get open water exercise every day,” he said. “They like free fish. They like playing with humans. It’s a game to them, just like drug sniffing dogs or explosives sniffing dogs.”
No marine mammals were harmed during the military operation, Savitz said: “They are living healthy lives.”