Screenshot of a video featuring Zac, the Indian Army assault dog taking part in Mitra Shakti – 2024.
New Delhi: Indian Army K9 (short of canine) Zac is making waves in the joint military exercise, Mitra Shakti, currently underway with Sri Lanka. This highly trained assault dog is demonstrating the crucial role canines play in modern warfare.
This exercise, aimed at enhancing operational interoperability and camaraderie between the armies of India and Sri Lanka, has seen Zac, a 2.5-year-old Belgian Malinois, play a key role in demonstrating the capabilities of military canines.
Deployed alongside his human handlers, Zac is participating in a range of demanding scenarios, including building searches, jungle patrols, and simulated combat operations. His exceptional abilities in target acquisition and assault have proved invaluable to the exercise.
During the exercise, Zac also intercepted an assailant attempting to flee a roadblock, demonstrating his exceptional training and agility. This scenario highlighted the importance of canine units in ensuring effective cordon-and-search operations.
Zac’s participation underscores the evolving role of military dogs in such operations, where their keen senses and agility can be decisive factors. The Army K9 has already displayed its exceptional skills in cordon-and-search operations, fighting in built-up areas, search operations, etc.
Notably, the Sri Lanka Army has also deployed two canines in Mitra Shakti – 2024. This further emphasizes the integral role of these animals in today’s military exercises. By showcasing the potential of military working dogs, the exercise highlights the symbiotic relationship between humans and animals in the complex landscape of contemporary warfare.
As stated earlier, Zac is a Belgian Malinois. It is a squarely built dog breed with strong muscles, which was developed in the Malines area of Belgium in the 19th century for herding and working. The breed is highly valued by police departments and militaries around the world for its strength and stamina, dexterity, loyalty, and its eagerness to please its handlers.
In 2011 a Belgian Malinois named Cairo was instrumental in helping a US Navy SEAL team kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at his safehouse in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The US Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum in North Carolina features a life-size bronze statue of a Belgian Malinois dedicated to all dogs deployed for special operations.
