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The Guardian has published an article on Navy dolphins supposedly missing in the wake of Hurricaine Katrina. Seen all over the place.

A little searching on the Cetacean Intelligence Mission turns up quite a few hysterical hand-wringing websites about U.S. and Soviet naval programs employing dolphins for mine detection and of course murderous suicide missions. In typical fashion these folks look for anything positive to say about the Soviets and focus their energy primarily on suspicions that the United States is probably killing their own dolphins. They’re nuts. Unbalanced. Bug-eyed insane.

A small article is at this Wiki page, but the best information can be had straight from the Navy’s own website.

“The Navy’s Marine Mammal Program is an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, an international organization committed to the care and conservation of marine mammals. Accreditation by the Alliance means this facility meets or exceeds all the standards of excellence for marine mammal care, husbandry, conservation and education.”

Contrary to what the anti-American kooks would have you believe, the U.S. Navy has been quite public about its work with the dolphins. A simple search at Navy NewsStand turns up public stories on joint dolphin rescue efforts between the Navy, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, and other agencies. By people who know what they’re talking about, the U.S. Navy is praised for its assistance.

“I think [the Navy] was extremely prompt and effective in helping us meet our needs here,” said Moby Solangi, president of both IMMS and Marine Life Oceanarium. “I’m not surprised at all. We’ve been working closely and very well with the Navy Marine Mammal Program for 30 years.”

The Navy is quite public about the work done by the dolphins. An example press release from a couple years ago.

030318-N-5319A-002 Central Command Area of Responsibility (Mar. 18, 2003) — K-Dog, a Bottle Nose Dolphin belonging to Commander Task Unit (CTU) 55.4.3, leaps out of the water in front Sgt. Andrew Garrett while training near the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) in the Arabian Gulf. Attached to the dolphin’s pectoral fin is a “pinger” device that allows the handler to keep track of the dolphin when out of sight. CTU-55.4.3 is a multi-national team consisting of Naval Special Clearance Team-One, Fleet Diving Unit Three from the United Kingdom, Clearance Dive Team from Australia, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units Six and Eight (EODMU-6 and -8). These units are conducting deep/shallow water mine countermeasure operations to clear shipping lanes for humanitarian relief. CTU-55.4.3 and USS Gunston Hall are currently forward deployed conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the multinational coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and end the regime of Saddam Hussein. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Brien Aho. (RELEASED)

Photo courtesy Navy NewsStand

c|net relays typical Reuters bleating about Active Denial Systems. They’re reporting that some scientists are concerned that someone might get hurt.

Excuse me, but we’re talking about weapons here. Sure, they’re billed as “less lethal,” but that doesn’t mean they won’t hurt, possibly a lot. Hopefully a lot. Perhaps they’d prefer the Marines use napalm or a simple minigun for riot control?

Seen here, here, here, here and of course here.

For some factual information… see GlobalSecurity.org article on V-MADS, Sandia National Labs’ news release on ADS, a DefenseTech.org article on the Pain Ray, a Popular Science article on Active Denial wherein the author gets hit with the Pain Ray, and even the Widipedia Active Denial entry.

And a slideshow hosted at c|net from the Directed Energy Directorate and Sandia National Labs.