Iran does not have an active military dolphin unit, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed this week, amid concerns about Iran laying underwater mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Hegseth said he would neither “confirm nor deny whether [the US] has kamikaze dolphins.”
Dolphins serving in the military may sound like a conspiracy, but it’s a widely used detection system. They are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, possessing large brains, complex social structures, and remarkable problem-solving abilities, and have been trained by militaries worldwide to detect underwater objects and protect ports.
Scott Savitz, who previously worked with the now decommissioned US Navy mine warfare command, told CNN that whilst there are no “kamikaze dolphins” in the navy, they “use marine mammals to help detect objects under water and to protect ports by detecting intruders.”
Dolphins serving their countries
Other countries also have dolphins serving in their militaries; Russia has used them to guard ports, and, according to BBC reports, in 2000, Iran purchased dolphins for a similar program.
Although dolphins live for around 20-40 years, Iran’s dolphins from 2000 would likely be past retirement age, and there is no indication that the country has an active dolphin unit in its Navy.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran was considering implementing true “kamikaze dolphins,” arming the mammals with mines and sending them towards ships attempting to cross the Strait as a unique method to stop the US from opening it back up.
“The Day of the Dolphin” in real life?
The US Navy has had a dolphin program for almost 70 years, training bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to detect and recover objects underwater.
The Marine Mammal Program webpage explains that “Mines and other potentially dangerous objects on the ocean floor that are difficult to detect with electronic sonar, especially in coastal shallows or cluttered harbors, are easily found by the dolphins.”
It adds that “for now, technology is no match for the animals.”
The dolphins aren’t typically used in active combat environments like the Strait of Hormuz; rather, they are brought in to detect mines once fighting has finished.
Before the project’s declassification in the early 1990s, many animal rights activists were concerned that the dolphins were being utilized as weapons, much like what the WSJ reported Iran is looking to do; however, since its declassification, it has become clear that the US Navy doesn’t use “kamikaze dolphins.”
The dolphins remain unharmed and are reportedly free to leave the program whenever they enter open waters for training or operations.
