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Luckily, someone's already done a pam on this - also, I love the title of the SME on this (highlighted in red) - shared with the usual disclaimer.
Canadian military looking to donkeys to help carry the load during summer
Canadian Press, 12 Dec 08
Article link
The Canadian Forces already have tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters at their command in their battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are about to add one more item to their arsenal - the donkey, perhaps the humblest of the beasts of burden.
Yes the donkey corps, for lack of a better name, is in the plans for next summer.
Even those involved in the project see the humour of going back to basics in an era of high-tech weaponry.
"You can't have a project like this that you don't laugh at a bit, but it has the potential to be very successful and, like a lot of things we do, we're adding another arrow to the quiver," said Capt. Chris Quinlan.
The terrain is one of the major challenges facing Canadian and coalition troops in Afghanistan. There are mountains, irrigation canals, grape fields, mud walls around compounds, and wadis - a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain.
Roadways can be limited and narrow, meaning the Taliban can easily place improvised explosive devices that can prove deadly to vehicles carrying Canadian and Afghan soldiers.
The other problem is the heat during the summer months. The temperature can hit the 50s, even 60s.
"Last summer we were up to 55 degrees Celsius, so you're looking well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit," said Maj. Charles Janzen, the self-proclaimed "Ass-Master" spearheading the donkey brigade idea.
"And when you think of the average soldier - whether he's Afghan or Canadian Forces - when you start putting on all your battle armour and you've got bullets and grenades plus small packs, you're carrying anywhere from 100 to 200 additional pounds of gear."
And then there's water.
"In the heat of the summer and you're in combat: you're sweating bullets, you need a lot of moisture to sustain yourself. You need water," he said.
That's one use for the donkey.
"They can survive with very little water. They carry a significant amount of weight: an average donkey can carry over 350 pounds (nearly 160 kilograms)," Janzen said.
Janzen said the program will involve the purchase of up to 30 specially trained donkeys.
"In essence they'll be able to use pack animals to deliver critical supplies like water and ammo in places where you can't easily get to by any mechanized or aviation means," Janzen said.
Many countries like the United States and Britain already use pack animals to support special operations in the mountains. Using donkeys would also cut down on using tanks to breach walls to reach soldiers needing resupply, which has been a source of anger for many Afghan farmers.
A unit of Afghan soldiers, along with Canadian mentors will be in charge of deploying the donkeys next year.
Canadian troops have used donkeys before, but not since northern Sicily in the Second World War.
The Americans studied the use of camels, dogs and mules - but the donkey came out on top of the ratings. "And what's important is when something happens, most animals will bolt but a donkey will run for 200 or 300 metres and then stop," Janzen said.
"We're going back and learning the lessons we learned in the Second World War in northern Sicily and saying: 'You know what? Things really haven't changed all that much. We need to bring those back and put them to use today'."
Quinlan agrees the idea is nothing new, and that Afghanistan is not the only place where it's been the right solution.
For special forces soldiers who are working with local forces all over the world, how to work with pack animals has been part of their training for more than 50 years, he added.
"This gives us the option to support troops who are going in dismounted (on foot) as well," Quinlan explained.
"They allow us to cross this ground without having to knock down walls and to send the troops in to do the patrolling and the operations they need to do with the supplies they need," he said.
"Because a man cannot carry the water and ammunition needed to operate here during the summer."
Canadian military looking to donkeys to help carry the load during summer
Canadian Press, 12 Dec 08
Article link
The Canadian Forces already have tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters at their command in their battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are about to add one more item to their arsenal - the donkey, perhaps the humblest of the beasts of burden.
Yes the donkey corps, for lack of a better name, is in the plans for next summer.
Even those involved in the project see the humour of going back to basics in an era of high-tech weaponry.
"You can't have a project like this that you don't laugh at a bit, but it has the potential to be very successful and, like a lot of things we do, we're adding another arrow to the quiver," said Capt. Chris Quinlan.
The terrain is one of the major challenges facing Canadian and coalition troops in Afghanistan. There are mountains, irrigation canals, grape fields, mud walls around compounds, and wadis - a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain.
Roadways can be limited and narrow, meaning the Taliban can easily place improvised explosive devices that can prove deadly to vehicles carrying Canadian and Afghan soldiers.
The other problem is the heat during the summer months. The temperature can hit the 50s, even 60s.
"Last summer we were up to 55 degrees Celsius, so you're looking well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit," said Maj. Charles Janzen, the self-proclaimed "Ass-Master" spearheading the donkey brigade idea.
"And when you think of the average soldier - whether he's Afghan or Canadian Forces - when you start putting on all your battle armour and you've got bullets and grenades plus small packs, you're carrying anywhere from 100 to 200 additional pounds of gear."
And then there's water.
"In the heat of the summer and you're in combat: you're sweating bullets, you need a lot of moisture to sustain yourself. You need water," he said.
That's one use for the donkey.
"They can survive with very little water. They carry a significant amount of weight: an average donkey can carry over 350 pounds (nearly 160 kilograms)," Janzen said.
Janzen said the program will involve the purchase of up to 30 specially trained donkeys.
"In essence they'll be able to use pack animals to deliver critical supplies like water and ammo in places where you can't easily get to by any mechanized or aviation means," Janzen said.
Many countries like the United States and Britain already use pack animals to support special operations in the mountains. Using donkeys would also cut down on using tanks to breach walls to reach soldiers needing resupply, which has been a source of anger for many Afghan farmers.
A unit of Afghan soldiers, along with Canadian mentors will be in charge of deploying the donkeys next year.
Canadian troops have used donkeys before, but not since northern Sicily in the Second World War.
The Americans studied the use of camels, dogs and mules - but the donkey came out on top of the ratings. "And what's important is when something happens, most animals will bolt but a donkey will run for 200 or 300 metres and then stop," Janzen said.
"We're going back and learning the lessons we learned in the Second World War in northern Sicily and saying: 'You know what? Things really haven't changed all that much. We need to bring those back and put them to use today'."
Quinlan agrees the idea is nothing new, and that Afghanistan is not the only place where it's been the right solution.
For special forces soldiers who are working with local forces all over the world, how to work with pack animals has been part of their training for more than 50 years, he added.
"This gives us the option to support troops who are going in dismounted (on foot) as well," Quinlan explained.
"They allow us to cross this ground without having to knock down walls and to send the troops in to do the patrolling and the operations they need to do with the supplies they need," he said.
"Because a man cannot carry the water and ammunition needed to operate here during the summer."
keep them away from Highlanders....
