Special Forces Use of Pack Animals
Posted at Secrecy News (FAS Blog) - Special Forces Use of Pack Animals.
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U.S. special operations forces typically make use of some of the most sophisticated military and intelligence gear available. But sometimes a "no tech" solution is the right one.
So, for example, Special Forces "may find themselves involved in operations in rural or remote environments... using pack animals," including horses, donkeys and mules.
"Pack animal operations are ideally suited for, but not limited to, conducting various missions in high mountain terrain, deserts, and dense jungle terrain."
An Army Special Forces manual (large pdf) provides instruction and doctrinal guidance for using pack animals in training and combat missions.
"This manual provides the techniques of animal pack transport and for organizing and operating pack animal units. It captures some of the expertise and techniques that have been lost in the United States Army over the last 50 years."...
The 225 page manual provides a basic introduction to the characteristics of each of the various pack animals, some rudiments of veterinary care, and miscellaneous lore....
The Special Forces manual has not been approved for public release, but a copy was obtained by Secrecy News.
Also see Chapter VII - Mounted Detachments of the Small Wars Manual.
Marines Plan on More Horsing Around
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Originally Posted by
El Machetazo
The Marine Corps still runs an animal packing course at Bridgeport.
Thanks for the post...Indeed interesting !
Quote:
Marines practice their horse packing skills at the base stables. Using animals to carry gear has been used since the beginning of warfare, but fell out of military use with the advent of all-terrain vehicles.
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- With plans for a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in the near future, the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, are honing their mountaineering skills in order to be ready for combat in any clime or place.
Reverting to a less technological means of maneuver warfare, these Marines are preparing for service with horses and mules to ensure success on the battlefield.
North American Goat Packing Association
The Manual makes mention of the daily food and water requirements for pack goats, but offers no more information on these beasts of burden.
The following link has a lot of information. I do not know if it is the best source of information on pack goats; I read the manual mostly because it was titled for Special Forces and not regular Army, which made me curious. The resourcefulness of using old "technologies" was interesting as well.
<http://www.napga.org/>
What piques my interest the most is that for CENTCOM and SOUTHCOM, goats could be procured in country and disposed of locally and beneficially at end of mission. While pack goats may not have "taken off" as the next yuppie pursuit in suburban Kabul or Bogota, I'm sure there is a lot of local expertise. Basically, I think the option of using pack animals is much more feasible when the using US unit is not shipping livestock half way around the world, but sourcing the muscle locally (not necessarily the supplies and nutrition). Also, it seems a string of goats is a lot less conspicuos than mammoth stock jack mules.
I thought it was a wind-up but apparently not...