KABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The French Task Force La Fayette battle group at Forward Operating Base Tora in Sarobi District here has an additional ace on its missions: the military working dogs.
During the task force’s Stamping Operation Nov. 10-11 in Sarobi, the dogs helped find several arms caches and provided a deterrent effect on the insurgents.
The seven dogs filling the ranks of the French forces here arrived in Afghanistan in July and are about to be replaced with seven new dogs in December. The dogs typically deploy to Forward Operating Base Tora for six months.
These military working dogs participate in numerous missions in Afghanistan to include building control and surveillance, and operational searches of vehicles, houses, people and roads.
Because of their natural searching instinct and docility, German and Belgian shepherds are used on the force. The training period depends on each dog, but it can take no more than six months to prepare a dog for the field.
Once they arrive, the dogs need 15 days to train in and get accustomed to the environment.
Each dog has its own trainer from the very beginning of the training to the end of its six years of military service. Usually, the trainers keep their dog after its service ends as they have reached a high level of confidence and loyalty.