Ass-master in Afghanistan

[Hangman]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/12/12/kandahar-donkey.html

Canadian soldiers add donkey brigade to Afghan mission

Maj. Charles Janzen, the Canadian soldier spearheading the donkey brigade idea, says the animals can survive with very little water and can carry a significant amount of weight — nearly 160 kilograms.

"Last summer we were up to 55 degrees Celsius," said Janzen, the self-proclaimed "ass-master" spearheading the donkey brigade idea.

This is not unprecedented. The CIA did it to help the mujhadeen, but they sent mules which couldn't breed. And were apparently tasty.

FM 3-05.213 (Big-ass .pdf) US Army Field Manual on use of pack animals...

 

[Aardvark154]

It was of course a very different type mission but over the past four years both British and U.S. Cavalry units in Bosnia and Kosovo ended parking some of the armour and mounting some of the unit because they found they could both travel faster and further and interact better with the population than patrolling in tanks or other armoured vehicles. But if something nasty happened those resources were there to back them up.