SOUTHWEST ASIA -- With thousands of people and vehicles entering and leaving the base on a daily basis, the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron has a big job ensuring the safety and security of the base and those working here.
Unfortunately, humans alone might not be able to detect hidden dangers, but that's where the base's military working dogs come in.
"We maintain a secure operating environment by preventing explosives from coming onto [the base] through the training and utilization of the finest detector dog teams," said Staff Sgt. Ronald Harden, 379th ESFS kennel master. "We search every vehicle that enters the main gate as well as performing walking patrols all over base, providing a deterrent for anyone who might try to attack."
In addition, the dogs are used during building searches and for security of visiting guests. They also occasionally leave base to perform searches at local ports when there is a request from U.S. military or coalition partner units.
Prior to deploying, each dog goes through years of training, learning to sniff out various substances. When the dog finds one of these substances, it will signal to the handler with a pre-determined alert response.
"We are the first line of defense for the base," said Senior Airman Phillip Lanzo, 379th ESFS MWD handler, who is deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. "It's important to have that dog out there, not only for its detection capabilities, but as a sense of security. When people see the dog, they are less likely to do anything out of the ordinary."
In order to keep the dogs and their handlers as proficient as possible, each military working dog is given tailored optimal training requirements, which are similar to an Airman's on-the-job training record, when they first arrive. Sergeant Harden said he bases the MWD OTRs on what the dog's home station kennel master normally requires.
"Each dog probably gets a good four or six hours of training in a three day cycle on everything they have been trained to do," he said. "Detection is a big thing, that's our bread and butter. A dog is required to have so much detection training per month.
"We also do what we call progression training where we try to improve on anything the dog can already perform," he said. "Let's say a dog can jump over a five-foot wall, we try to see if we can get it to jump over a seven-foot wall."
In addition to protecting the base, the military working dogs are used to increase the quality of life for servicemembers recovering here from surgery.
"We do a lot of volunteer stuff with the in-theater care program," Sergeant Harden said. "We take our dogs over there kind of as a morale booster for them, it helps to put them at ease and talk about their medical conditions with people. It helps set a good environment for them."
Handlers will take working dogs to see patients twice a month, he said. During the visits, they do demonstrations, like apprehending a suspect, as well as more therapeutic activities.
Airman Lanzo said being a military working dog handler is one of the best jobs in the Air Force despite how strenuous it can be.
"It doesn't get boring, you're not just sitting in a patrol car with someone else for your shift most of the time," he said. "It's a great responsibility as well, because you're responsible for that dog and what happens when you give him an order."
"The use of MWDs saves lives," Sergeant Harden said. "Their senses are a lot stronger than a human's and they can detect something long before a human can. Having them here provides a secure operating environment for the people here on base. There is nothing on this installation that can do what these dogs do ... no human, no machine. Nothing."