The Latest Weapon In The War Against Iran…Dolphins

The United States military has a new weapon against Iran. Bring in the dolphins!

It may seem like a typo, but it is not. Iran has threatened that in the event of either the implementation of certain sanctions against their oil sales or an Israeli attack that they would shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. More than 1/5 of the world’s oil supply travels through the strategic strait.

This would most likely be done with a series of mines placed throughout the Strait to prevent US warships and oil tankers passing through.

So like I said before…Bring In The Dolphins.

The Navy has successfully used trained dolphins to sweep for mines and other objects underneath the water.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported in 2010,

“Dolphins — which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable mine sweepers,”

In addition to being able to hunt for mines they are able to place acoustic transponders nearby so that human divers can locate and destroy them.

The United States Navy reportedly has more than 80 trained bottle nosed dolphins ready to go in the event that they are needed to protect the forces of freedom from the Iranian threat.

The dolphins are trained in their tactics by the Navy’s Marine Mammal fleet members. The Marine Mammal fleet members train the dolphins in three areas, swimmer detection, mine location and object recoveries.

How impressed are you with the US Military’s Dolphin teams?