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By Captain Paul E. Bowen,
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
Imagine supporting a single battalion in a combined-arms exercise in the desert at Twentynine Palms, California, without a single hummer or helo, and with no more than five heavy (five-ton) trucks. In occupying key terrain features at dispersed locations, the S-4 officer would be hard-pressed to support the commander’s scheme of maneuver with such limited transportation assets.
The roads running through the deserts of Southwest Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are as bad as (or slightly worse than) those used as main supply routes at the Twentynine Palms training area in the Mojave Desert. These dirt tracks inflict a measure of wear and tear on tactical vehicles that increases significantly when vehicles go off-road.
In addition, a unit in the desert may be compromised tactically by the tell-tale dust cloud that marks a visit by a motor vehicle or helicopter to its position.
Camels present neither of these environmental problems.
Camels are domesticated animals; every single camel (or herd) belongs to somebody. Camels are cud-chewers, like cattle or deer. They are about as intelligent as dogs, and they require some training and discipline before being pressed into service as beasts of burden. If a camel is abused in any way, it will remember the abuser. Conversely, if the animal is treated with affection or kindness, it may be the beginning of a larger- than-life friendship.
Although camels are native to arid regions, they are still susceptible to heat exhaustion. A “tropical hours” work schedule is in order when using the animals for transport. In Kenya, for example, a camel trek routine begins at 0300 and stops between 1200 and 1300, or before the heat of the day.
Camels require four to six hours of grazing per day. They graze in a loose herd until evening. Camels can satisfy 100% of their water requirement through the ingestion of leafy plants. A herd that is used for transporting baggage will readily respond to camel handlers when it is time to be rounded up for the evening. Camels need to be herded into close quarters, couched, and hobbled every evening. Stray animals can get lost, injured, or attacked by predators at night. Once hobbled, the camel does not sleep, but chews its cud all night.
Because camels are private property,
“Offering no more of an infrared signature than cattle—and something significantly less than hot internal combustion engines—camels provide stealthier support for night ops.”
they must be procured from the owner under a contractual arrangement. In Saudi Arabia, the government owns all livestock and is the principal contractor. Several things must be considered before pressing camels into service:
- They may need to be trained to carry burdens.
- Like dogs or horses, camels have names, too. Before heading off into the bush, make sure you are not getting stuck with an animal whose name translates into “Racecourse,” or “Wild Thing.”
- Along with seasoned animals, a seasoned staff of camel handlers is necessary. A string of 10 to 20 camels requires four to six men. These men will control, pack, and generally care for the animals. Interpreter support will be considerable since Bedouin groups will not speak a common dialect; in Saudi Arabia alone, 40 different Bedouin dialects are spoken.
- The contractor may or may not provide food for the camel-handling staff he assigns to you, the client.
Camels require their own custom-made saddles which are secured by two girth straps of plaited, natural fiber. Tail and neck straps secure the saddle fore and aft. Cargo is carried in large natural fiber sacks, similar to grain or meal sacks of 200-kilogram capacity. Once in the sack, all cargo is lashed securely to the saddle. At that point, the camel is ready for the trek, and need only be unhobbled.
Depending on the sophistication of the contractor, veterinarian services may be required to maintain the herd’s health. Diseases that can affect camels include:
- Camel pox: A viral infection that is a strain of the smallpox and chicken pox virus. There is no cure for it, and the infection must run its course. It can be fatal.
- Trypse: An ailment involving the stomach, or digestive tract. This ailment also occurs in cattle, and the symptoms
are loss of appetite, weight loss, and lack of vigor. The medication is water-solu- able, and is administered via injection.
► Eye infections: The medication used is a thick penicillin mixture which is injected directly behind the eyeball; the camel is, of course, immobilized first.
Camels make about 3.4 kilometers per hour, or 24 to 26 kilometers per day, on an average. They can be driven harder, depending on the urgency of the mission.
A camel string has an out-and-in radius of action for resupply of about six miles (12 miles one way).
On tactical patrols, the animals can be used to carry water and rations only. Individual soldiers carry their own weapons, ammunition, and packs. Tactical operations, such as long-range desert reconnaissance patrols, may include camel strings to carry additional water and food; to avoid detection, patrols should steer clear of water sources, because they tend to attract crowds of local inhabitants.
Tactical operations that include camels always travel at night. The animals are very quiet, and they do not spook easily- Camels have very sharp eyesight, and they can get past any obstacle that a man can. The endurance, and therefore the range, of a camel string traveling at night increases from six to nine hours.
To reduce the tactical signature of the operation, camels can easily be hidden in ravines, stream beds, or in wooded areas. As long as they are allowed to graze, they will sit quietly and chew their cuds. There is no record of a noisy camel prematurely disclosing an ambush site.
The camels’ strength, the operation’s duration, and the weather will all have a bearing on the use and effectiveness of camel logistical trains. Camels on the move are quiet, and blend in with the landscape. Offering no more of an infrared signature than cattle—and something significantly less than hot internal- combustion engines—camels provide stealthier support for night operations, either patrolling or logistical support.
With new emphasis being placed on the ability of the United States to insert credible non-mechanized infantry forces into Southwest Asia on short notice, the commander and his logistics staff will be severely challenged to create a sophisticated logistics pipeline to support dispersed and independently operating combat units. Camels could offer a way to travel light, and still get the job done.
Captain Bowen is a Marine Corps aviator and is a flight instructor with VT-19, Training Air Wing One, Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi.
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Proceedings / February 1991