The US military and many other countries use dolphins to protect naval bases because they possess many superior capabilities.
Dolphins are famous for their exceptional intelligence. They are friendly, curious and playful mammals. In fact, dolphins learn very quickly, are talented at imitating, and demonstrate self-awareness and problem-solving skills. Therefore, along with many other marine mammals, dolphins are used by militaries around the world for different purposes, including protecting nuclear submarine bases, according to IFL Science. The US military raises dolphins at King’s Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia and Naval Base Kitsap near Seattle. There, dolphins help protect a quarter of America’s available nuclear arsenal.
The US Navy began testing different species of dolphins in 1959, evaluating their capabilities alongside sea lions, turtles, birds, sharks and rays. The process considers sensory abilities and physical abilities, as well as the ability to train them. Not all animals are trainable and useful for military purposes. Over the years, the potential users narrowed to mainly bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions.
The training effort is conducted through the Naval Marine Mammal Program (NMMP). In the 1980s, there were more than 100 dolphins living at naval facilities across the United States, operating on a budget of more than $8 million. Dolphins are trained to carry cameras in their mouths, deliver messages, and even locate enemy divers. Similarly, sea lions are taught to collect mines from the seabed, while beluga whales patrol the waters and search for threats. From 1986 to 1988, six dolphins participated in escorting the Kuwaiti oil tanker through the Persian Gulf. In 2003, other dolphins helped allied troops remove mines in the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq.
Dolphins are chosen for military operations for many reasons related to their intelligence, physical capabilities, and high sociability. Dolphins have evolved to be able to map their environment through echolocation, which helps them “see” through the sound waves they create with clicking sounds, then translate the echoes back from objects.
The clicking sound did not come from the dolphin’s mouth. Instead, they are created by pushing air through structures called the vocal lips that are connected to the nasal cavity. As air passes through the nasal cavity and past these lips, it causes the surrounding tissue to vibrate, creating sound. Dolphins can emit complex sounds with varying frequencies and waveforms, helping to “capture” detailed images of their surroundings, including muddy or rugged conditions that would be impossible using artificial technology. This makes them particularly suitable for finding objects such as mines in shallow waters or harbors. At the same time, dolphins can dive hundreds of meters below the water’s surface, not being affected by any physical limitations or dangers like humans.
Although useful, warrior dolphins are a controversial subject. There are many concerns surrounding the use and exploitation of dolphins. Animal rights activists ask many questions such as how to get dolphins to perform tasks they do not understand in dangerous contexts. Currently, the United States has about 85 bottlenose dolphins and a smaller number of sea lions trained by NMMP.