Dogs in flight ready to fight

by Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos
36th Wing Public Affairs

5/29/2013 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam  -- What has six legs, detecting capabilities surpassing technological counterparts, deployment tasks and flies? Answer: A military working dog team, of course.

Dog handlers from the 36th Security Forces Squadron train their MWDs at least once a quarter on helicopter familiarization at the flightline here.

"When it's the first time for the dog to see helicopter rotaries spinning, hear the noises and feel the vibrations, the stimuli can make the dog uneasy and could drastically affect their abilities," said Staff Sgt. Steven Nowicki, 36th SFS MWD kennel master. "We train the dogs to eliminate sensitivity to those stimuli in order to get them accustomed to flying."

The training orients MWDs to helicopter operations, ultimately enhancing deployment readiness and the modes of transportation available to MWD teams while traveling throughout an area of responsibly.

"The dogs are the ones who get tasked for deployments," said Staff Sgt. James Colip, 36th SFS MWD trainer. "We, as handlers, take the dogs wherever they need to go. The units don't need our skills; they need the dogs' skills."

Air Force MWDs can be tasked to support deployed units from any branch of service. When patrols downrange check narcotic trafficking points or suspected bomb making houses, they send a request for assistance to the closest location where MWDs are stationed.

Nowicki said, when the MWD are sent out to those units downrange - especially outside the wire - the most convenient way to transport them is through air.

"It cuts down travel time and possible hazards associated with convoying," he said.

During training, MWD teams practice tactical deployment, air infiltration and exfiltration in order to get used to going in and out of a moving helicopter.

According to Nowicki, the biggest challenge for the handler is keeping the dog calm and comfortable and ensuring the dog is not a danger to the handler or any other individual associated with the aircraft or mission.

"Initially we like to keep it to just the handler and the aircrew in the helicopter, but it is not uncommon downrange to hop in the back of a Black Hawk with seven to eight people the dog has never seen before in there with us," he continued. "That's something we are trying to work up to. We train the dogs to be tolerant of anybody in the aircraft."

Hundreds of MWDs are still rotating in and out of the U.S. Central Command - out on the front lines, supporting joint patrols, narcotics and improvised explosive device detection missions with their handlers. To support that Department of Defense-wide mission, the 36th SFS MWD teams continue to train and get ready to fly when asked to sink their canines in contingency missions anywhere in the world.