Friday, September 18, 2020

Should U.S. Military Working Dogs Be American-Born?

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Paul Bourgeois, 3rd MWD Detachment military working dog handler, and his dog Olaf, 633rd SFS MWD, participate in a ruck march in honor of National K9 Veterans Day at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, March 13, 2020. (Kaylee Dubois/U.S. Air Force)

Military.com: US Military Working Dogs Should Be American-Born, Senator Says

A Democratic lawmaker wants the Pentagon to buy American when it comes to its Military Working Dog program.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut included an amendment in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the U.S. Air Force, which oversees the Pentagon's program, to conduct a business case study on what it would take to purchase dogs from U.S. breeders instead of European sources.

"I was surprised to learn from the Air Force that the vast majority of our working dogs are actually born and bred in Europe, which raises costs and puts us in competition with other countries," Blumenthal said in a statement to Military.com on Wednesday. Bloomberg News was first to report the story.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Air Force budgets roughly $5 million annually to buy about 450 dogs each year. This is why most US military dogs are bought from Europe .... It costs about $5,500 to buy a dog from Europe, according to statistics provided by the Air Force. The service pays about $9,000 per dog in the U.S..

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

No. The Senator did not say dogs must be American born.
This is what he said:

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut included an amendment in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the U.S. Air Force, which oversees the Pentagon's program, to conduct a business case study on what it would take to purchase dogs from U.S. breeders instead of European sources.
[emphasis mine]

Anonymous said...

I am so happy the Senator "Dogshit (D) is investigating a small 5 million dollar program with no cost overruns instead of the F35 program.

Richard Blumenthal’s Words on Vietnam Service Differ From History - NYT

"During his successful 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, Blumenthal said that he had “misspoken” about his military service during the Vietnam War after the New York Times obtained his Selective Service Record, which showed he received five separate draft deferments while a college student and then, when those deferments ran out, secured a spot in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves (serving stateside, not in Vietnam)." - Snopes

“I served in Vietnam” -Senator Blumenthal (D)

Anonymous said...

4:20

What is wrong with saving money and buying from an European ally?

So long as the balance of trade is balanced (even), there is nothing wrong. In fact it makes the alliance work.

The M1A1 when it was initially constructed used British designed armor and a German gun. The supply system is set up so you know country of origin. That would be positions 5 and 6 of the part number.

Anonymous said...

After months of heated accusations and painstaking negotiations, the White House and the pharmaceutical industry neared agreement late last month on a plan to make good on President Trump’s longstanding promise to lower drug prices.

The drug companies would spend $150 billion to address out-of-pocket consumer costs and would even pick up the bulk of the co-payments that older Americans shoulder in Medicare’s prescription drug program.

Then the agreement collapsed. The breaking point, according to four people familiar with the discussions: Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, insisted the drug makers pay for $100 cash cards that would be mailed to seniors before November — “Trump Cards,” some in the industry called them.

Some of the drugmakers bridled at being party towhat they feared would be seen as an 11th-hour political boost for Mr. Trump, the people familiar with the matter said.

Anonymous said...

5:32,

You are so precious. Drug prices, pharmaceutical companies and Trump have nothing to do with WNU's post.

Your senator, whom you voted for does.


But since you brought up drugs. There are only so many pathways that are part of human biology. It is a finite #. So there are only so many drugs that are necessary. Many of those are off patent. Eventually everything will be off patent.

Now, if you wanted to do something, you could make a list of "me too drugs" and the generics that are equivalent. that would go a ways to decreasing drug prices. These lists are already around, but maybe you could do better, socialist.

Rc21 said...

If one looks into the program, something I doubt the senator did, you’d discover the best dogs are bred in Europe. Additionally, the Air Force program that buys the dogs submit bids that garner the middle tier K-9s not the best but adequate. Similar to all government programs the minimum is good enough or it wouldn’t be the minimum. Buying the the US dogs may be good for a vote or two but the quality of the dogs will suffer as the acquisition system will take its toll.

Anonymous said...

I doubt that American dogs are inferior. The dog breeders would have to be inferior are cheap. If the breed were inferior, then aficianado or dog fanciers would import some European stock.

I think it is just more expensive in the US. I remember paying 1,261 dollars for a purebred, 4 year old dog. Just think of the price if the dog was 6 months or 1 year old.

https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care/dog-facts/american-vs.-european-german-shepherds

Pedigree.com confirms that Senator Blumenthal is a know nothing jerk.

Anonymous said...

President Donald Trump on Friday expressed further dissatisfaction with FBI Director Christopher Wray over testimony he gave to Congress on foreign and domestic threats and did not rule out the possibility of replacing him.

“We are looking at a lot of different things,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about whether he was considering replacing Wray, who the president nominated to lead the FBI in 2017. “I did not like his answers yesterday. I'm not sure he liked them either. I'm sure that he probably would agree with me.”

Trump took issue with Wray’s characterization of “antifa,” which the president says is a terrorist organization. The FBI director told the House Homeland Security Committee that while “antifa is a real thing” it is “more of an ideology or a movement than an organization.”

Trump rejected that characterization Friday during a press gaggle on the White House lawn before embarking on a campaign trip to Minnesota.

“The fact is antifa is a bad group,” he said. “They’re bad, and when a man doesn’t say that, that bothers me. I wonder why he’s not saying that.”

The president on Thursday night also swiped at Wray for testifying about Russia’s “very active efforts” to meddle in the upcoming election, primarily to undercut Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. In a tweet, Trump said that countries like China pose a bigger election interference threat and told him to “Check it out!”

Anonymous said...

Trump LIED about Coronavirus. That is a fact. See RAGE. and many died because3 he said it was a non-issue and he showed no leadership and keeps bullshitting about when the vaccine will be available (though today he now says not till next year)...and senator lied? ok. And Trump? never has any elected official told so many lies (see Wash Post compilation of lies)...The senator served while bone spurs got his dad's client doctor to give him an excuse to skip the Nam war. Draft dodger! and his taxes he said over and over he would reveal? and the health care plan he says he now has? liar liar...and yes, daily even his own people pulling away from him

Anonymous said...


Overlooking that you are not referring to virus studies for vaccines for pets...your post is silly. Amateurishly chosen and, I would wager, having an unmeasurable impact on anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Another tedious and easily refuted post. But....you did your best.

This is WNU participation trophy # ?????

Anonymous said...

6:48 & 6:53 are Clerk specials.

Anonymous said...

Yup.. 648 and 653 clear retard alert
And why does Blumenthal keep his job after claiming he served in Vietnam?
And why is he so weird? He's so weirdly not human looking lol or just drag queen in disguise or what's going on? Doesn't matter.. but he's wrong so often. Ughhhh

Anonymous said...

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/nyregion/18blumenthal.html