39 SFS has 'gone to the dogs' Published Oct. 15, 2008 By Senior Airman Erica Stewart 39th Air Base Wing INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- The suspect runs across the grass, looking behind his shoulder every few steps and, without warning, a 39th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler gives his dog a command. Ronnie, a seven-year-old Belgium Malinois, tears across the training complex and, in a matter of seconds, has a tight hold of the man's arm. According to a March 22, 2007, American Force Press Service article, a Belgium Malinois can run at speeds up to 30 miles-per-hour and is capable of exerting a bite pressure of 1,400 pounds per square inch. Eventually, Ronnie's handler bellows out the release command and Ronnie lets go of the suspect. While this was only a training exercise, Incirlik's military working dog staff trains daily for the real thing. "We are required to give each dog at least two hours of training per 12-hour shift," said Tech Sgt. Alan Frank, 39 SFS military working dog section noncommissioned officer in-charge. "With that being the minimum, we constantly train our dogs and challenge their abilities." The working life of a MWD doesn't begin at Incirlik. Instead each military working dog in the Department of Defense begins their military career as a one-year-old pup with three to four months of training at the 341st Military Working Training Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, learning to function as members of the military, said Staff Sgt. Gerald Morey, 39 SFS military working dog trainer NCO. "The dogs are taught obedience in conjunction with their specialized training, which teaches them to sense and convey to their handler that explosives or narcotics are in the area," said Sergeant Morey. These handlers challenge their furry counterparts by putting them through an obstacle course while searching for contraband. "The obstacle course allows us to work on simple commands with our dogs, and sharpens skills used in real- world situations, like jumping through a structure, low crawling or climbing heights," said Sergeant Morey. Handlers also challenge MWD's sense of smell. "Each dog is trained to identify either narcotics or explosives," said Sergeant Frank. "The trainer takes minimal, amounts of narcotics or explosives and runs a scenario with the dog to test its abilities." The dog can find just a few grams of narcotics or a minute amount of explosives in something as big as a semi-truck trailer, Sergeant Morey said. In addition to finding illegal substances or weapons, the animals can search for people. "The dogs are capable of tracking humans," said Sergeant Frank. "They use their superior sense of smell and hearing to find a hiding or fleeing person." This capability doesn't just protect the base and its residents, but also helps the officers involved. "Say we're entering a building where a perpetrator is hiding with a weapon," Sergeant Frank said. "Instead of storming the building, not knowing where the person is hiding, we send in an MWD to identify the suspect's location in a fraction of the time." Like their human counterparts, Incirlik's MWDs provide a key link in the wing's defenses. "Incirlik's MWDs are crucial to the base's defense against terrorism; protecting the base populous against explosive attacks, dangerous narcotics and the world's most dangerous weapon - malevolent humans," Sergeant Morey said.