Latest news with #MilitaryWorkingEquid
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Army has realized that horses are no longer good for ‘warfighting'
Goodbye horses, the Army's over you. The Army is drastically scaling back its Military Working Equid program, the Army term for the service's contingent of horses, donkeys and mules. With a few exceptions for ceremonial horse teams, the equine operations will wind down over the next year at five Army bases, with animals being donated or transferred to private owners, the Army announced last week. Why the drawdown? According to the Army, it's 'to align more resources with warfighting capability and readiness.' 'This initiative will save the Army $2 million annually and will allow the funds and soldiers dedicated to [Military Working Equid] programs to be redirected to readiness and warfighting priorities,' according to the Army's release. The 'warfighting priorities' were not specified. The Department of Defense currently owns 236 horses, mules and donkeys, which are housed and cared for on Army bases, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro told Task & Purpose on Monday. The one-year reduction will see the closure of MWE programs at bases in California, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas: Fort Irwin, Fort Huachuca, Fort Riley, Fort Sill and Fort Hood. The Army will keep horse teams at two locations, including the 3rd Infantry Regiment, or 'the Old Guard,' at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which restarted its caisson services in June after a two-year pause following the death of two horses. That effort saw the Army invest more than $18 million in new real estate and equipment for the horses. Though the age of the war horse is long gone, horses have not been totally absent from combat use in the modern Army. Army Special Forces soldiers famously used horses with the Northern Alliance during the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 — those horses were provided by Afghan partners. The last time the Army staged an outright cavalry charge was 83 years ago during World War II. The 26th Cavalry Regiment in the Philippines, made up of American and Filipino fighters, resisted Japanese forces with horseback tactics. On Jan. 16, 1942, Lt. Edward Ramsey led a mounted force into the village of Morong. When the cavalry encountered a larger Japanese infantry force, Ramsey ordered them forward, even yelling 'charge!' The horse-based assault was so sudden and shocking it pushed the Japanese forces back. According to the Army, equine veterinarian experts will oversee the drawdown of the MWE animals. They will be donated or adopted by outside parties. The latest on Task & Purpose Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps learns an old lesson: Don't mess with Audie Murphy A breakdown of safety procedures 'directly contributed' to an 82nd Airborne paratrooper's death WWII Marine Raider who fought at Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal wants cards for 100th birthday Navy identifies special warfare sailor killed while parachuting Pentagon appears to pause renaming of Navy ships Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
09-07-2025
- General
- Gizmodo
The Army Is Giving Up on War Horses
The U.S. military is finally done horsing around. According to a report from Task and Purpose, the Department of Defense is significantly cutting back on funding for its Military Working Equid program, and it plans to put an end to almost all horse-related operations. Apparently, steeds are no longer fit for modern warfare in the eyes of some folks at the Pentagon. Per the report, the Army will be redirecting $2 million that currently gets funneled into the Military Working Equid program to programs that focus on unspecified 'readiness and warfighting priorities.' Soldiers who have worked with horses in the program will apparently be rerouted to other positions, as well. The funding drawdown will result in equine programs at several Army bases shuttering operations, including programs at Fort Irwin in California, Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and Fort Hood in Texas. When all is said and done, the Army will be left with two horse teams, both of which will be used for ceremonial purposes only. One of those remaining teams will be the 3rd Infantry Regiment, otherwise known as the 'the Old Guard,' at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which temporarily shut down in 2022 following the death of two horses—likely the result of poor living conditions for the animals. The other stable that is staying is at Joint Base in San Antonio, Texas. The Department of Defense currently owns 236 horses, mules, and donkeys, according to Task and Purpose. Caring for those creatures is a significant task, and one the Military does not seem equipped to handle at this point. Business Insider reported that 141 of those animals will be donated or sold to private owners on the grounds of 'care and compassion.' The same report cited an Army veterinarian who said the military doesn't have the veterinary resources needed to take care of the horses properly. If the idea is to spend more money on warfighting programs, it probably makes sense to defund (and, crucially, re-home) the horses. The Army hasn't used a cavalry charge since World War II, when the 26th Cavalry Regiment fought back against Japanese forces in the Philippines. The Army Special Forces did use horses during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, but those were local horses rather than ones that the military trained on. No word on whether Trojan horses will be exempted from the drawdown on horse-related warfare tactics.
