Last week a beluga whale with a strange harness came up to a couple of Norwegian fishermen out by Ingoya, an Arctic Island about 250 miles from Murmansk, Russia where their Northern Fleet is based and where a Russian naval base close by. The harness marks that it came from St. Petersburg it also had a GoPro camera holder but no camera. This shocked the fisherman who found out that the whale was actually a Russian spy for Vladimir Putin. This beluga is not the first animal Russia's used to help spy on its enemies in the West.
Russian reserve colonel Col Viktor Baranets was interviewed soon after news of the whale became global news. He started by assuring Norway was in no harm however he didn't deny that the whale was actually an escapee from the Russian navy. He also revealed in the interview about Russia's public use of combat dolphins for the navy. And since Russia's takeover of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine back in 2014 they've had a fully functional facility to train the dolphins to perform tasks that humans could never do underwater. There training includes "training to solve various tasks, from analyzing the seabed to protecting a stretch of water, killing foreign divers, and attaching mines to the hulls of foreign ships" according to the colonel.
Reaction: At first glance, I could not believe that Russia was making animals into soldiers for their own use. I found it very eyeopening knowing that there could be more secrets like this to outbest the U.S. It makes me wonder how far have both countries gone to perfecting these animals so they'll follow exact orders at every point. And if they'll be eventually used in global warfare in the future or will they be used secretively as spies. This also makes me wonder how this will affect the Russia-U.S. relationship as other allegations are arising between the two from the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Connection: This connects to our Cold War Unit as both powers raced to beat the other in the arms race and to hold an advantage over the other. During the Cold War Both U.S. and Russian Navy's trained aquatic mammals to enhance their underwater influence and power. The U.S. in specific trained dolphins and sea lions to locate mines and various other objects along the ocean floor.
Question:
1) How do you feel about the training of marine animals for military use?
2) How do you think the outbreak of this news will affect Russian-U.S. tensions?
3) What steps do you think Russias neighbors and the UN should take after discovering that their operations could expand out into their waters?
I think that the idea of a beluga whale army sounds totally epic. Proper respect to Russia for thinking outside the box. I dont think this news will affect Russian - U.S. tensions because despite the diverse capabilities of the whales, I dont see how they will be much of a threat. An article by CNN says "the harness appeared specially made and had mounts for GoPro cameras on each side of it." Personally I own a GoPro, and I dont know what good it would do being attached to a whale. Even if visibility is good, all the camera will pick up is low quality footage of the hauls of boats. Also, the battery on GoPro's suck, so I dont understand how they expect it to last long enough for a whale to perform an entire secret mission. I think the only way for other countries to combat this Russian whale army, is to create their own Russian whale army. Maybe they can add some dolphins, and sea horses! Overall, I think we are moving in the right direction.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2019/05/03/europe/beluga-whale-norway-scli-intl/index.html
Animals are very helpful in today’s society. Animals have made human life much easier by providing us with food, medicine, clothing, etc,. Animal hair can be used to make blankets, jackets helping us to keep ourselves warm in winters. They are also used for economic purposes. Animals like dogs and cats can keep us company. Training marine animals for military purposes is just like training military dogs and carrier pigeons. There shouldn’t be anything wrong or unethical unless the animals are abused or treated very poorly. No human technology could compete with the biosonar abilities of dolphins, Marine Mammal Program Director Mike Rothe told CNN in 2011. Knowing that Russia is currently developing other forms of reconnaissance or warfare, the US may also try to start their own “military animal training” program or invest more into programs they already have (Marine Mammal Program). Tensions may increase a little because technology that will allow marine animals to attack other countries is very far into the future. Such technology is very "epic", but it will not be realized in the near future. Russia’s neighbors will become more cautious of the actions of the Russian Navy. They may also start or invest more into animal training programs to increase their battle prowess.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2019/05/04/europe/marine-mammals-military-training-scli-intl/index.html
http://time.com/5582694/russian-spy-whale-history/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/02/authorities-alleged-russian-spy-whale-is-refusing-leave-seeking-norwegians-devotion/?utm_term=.65dd4bbb17b0
As much as this event could spark some distrust between Russia and the US, even if the Beluga whale was from the Russian navy, they did say that Norway was in no harm. I feel like if Russia is training marine animals for military use, there is no reason why its neighboring countries should not as well. As long as they are not harming or abusing the animals they are using. I’ve definitely never heard of using marine animals as a military tactic, but it seems like a nonviolent method of gaining information. I’m not sure how effective putting a GoPro on a whale is, considering the stand was there but the camera was not. However, it doesn’t seem to be harming neighboring countries, so therefore I don’t think it would affect Russian-U.S. tensions that much.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting because it never really occurred to me that other animals can be utilized in such ways as military use and spying. I've never heard of using marine animals in such ways before, but find it innovative. However, although this is fascinating, it can potentially be the cause of much rise in tensions with not only the US, but its other rivals and enemies, such as Norway, which was mentioned in this article. These increase in tensions may cause such countries to also begin trying to utilize marine animals for such purposes as well. The UN for now should closely follow this. Just like how when Germany started the use of U-boats in the first world war, and this proved to be a huge violation to other countries, I predict that this will have similar violations on Russia's rival countries as well. The UN will have to regulate it in some way in the future.
ReplyDeleteAnimals have actually been used for the benefit of humans in wars and other such beneficial efforts for a long time. For example, during World War 2, Harvard psychologist BF Skinner realized that he could use pigeons to guide missiles. Pigeons were trained to peck at an image that would look like a ship as a missile approached. Pecks on the ship would steer the missile towards the enemy ship. Though I don't think that US-Russia relations will change from this, because not much was done, I feel like there must be some rules and regulations before countries start putting such cameras and other inventions on animals, as there are ethical guidelines in terms of the animals and the marine environment. I think that this form of technology is still in the beginning works but it will be interesting to see what countries will use next to obtain information.
ReplyDeleteTraining land animals for military use is no strange news, but marine animals are not commonly used. However, I am not surprised at all. Humans are known for using animals for our own advantage, and this is just another example of that. Unfortunately, 2270 marine species are listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, including whales. (https://ocean.si.edu/conservation/solutions-success-stories/endangered-ocean) The most obvious disadvantage of using marine animals for military use is our influence on their life. Large amounts of certain species will be captured and trained for human usage. The training will change the behavior of these animals, thus impacting the entire ecosystem. Whales are considered a keystone species, which means if this species is influenced, the entire ecosystem will alter. Therefore, utilizing whales or other marine animals will only create a negative impact on the nature as a whole. Additionally, the outbreak of this news will only intensify the relationship between America and Russia. American politicians and government will realize the secret actions Russia is taking and break any trust between the two countries. Russia will be angry that the U.S. is blaming them for using marine spys. In my opinion, the UN and other countries involved should consider the biology standpoint of this event and realize how any further usage of marine animals can cause the collapse of ecosystems. Countries will definitely see the chance to expand power and try to train more marine animals, but if governments are willing to treat the nature more seriously and prioritize that before their country’s power, the chance of solving this problem will increase.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the training of animals for military use, while not new, is definitely something that many countries around the world should start looking into. In fact, the russian military used dolphins, seals and whales during the cold war for underwater searches. But the russians are not the only ones. The US has also been using animals, but because of stricter animal abuse laws here, the information has been shrouded in secrecy. The British used pigeons in WW1 to poop on periscopes on submarines and to send messages. I do not think this will affect Russia-US relations because they are already very strained and the US is also doing the same thing, just without the expansion. Other countries should test the water with their own forms of aquatic animals programs. This could result in artificial selection for those with better behaviors in terms of carrying out operations. This could also connect to Russia’s territorial claims in the arctic, which is currently in international possession, but holds many natural resources.
ReplyDeletehttp://time.com/5582694/russian-spy-whale-history/
Russia has some extremely creative minds, or at least some creative minds that put made their ideas happen. Although it is creative, and teenage males like Michael (above) might think it's super cool, I don't think it should be continued. Animals shouldn't have to work for a certain nation as a military utility, because they don't have a choice about what they do or who they work for. I think it's borderline animal abuse because as part of a military, you are forcing that animal to potentially risk its life for your country. When nations use canines to their advantage, it's slightly different because of the much greater reward that the dogs can reap. They can use their incredible noses to find drugs or bombs, which are massive benefits. This is even still under scrutiny, because the 2700 canines in the US military right now, and more in militaries worldwide, do not have a choice to enlist. I would argue that we need to draw a line somewhere on what we can use as a soldier, and what we cannot.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/animal-soldiers_b_1446860
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/02/russian-spy-whale-has-defected-to-norway-locals-claim
I do not support the use of marine mammals for military use. In my opinion it is almost like animal abuse because whales and other marine mammals should not be in contact with people. People should not be messing with nature or (wild animals). Although many people think by using animals it will help them, it is not fair to the animals. I think many people will also be upset with the Russians for using animals for military use. I think many people will be against it and will try to shut down the use of animals for this reason. I also do not understand how sticking a camera on a whale or any animal will stay put. Most of the time it will fall off and the camera/go pro will be gone. I do not think this is the best way to successfully get information a country wants so they should stop this process.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the use of marine animals for the military is not the best idea, but we have been using animals for military purposes for a long time. We can take a good like at the use of dogs, and how they are trained to find bombs in combat zones. But overall I am probably in the middle for the use marine animals for military use. I think that this news will most likely increase tensions between is U.S and Russia. This news will show how Russia is trying to spy on the U.S and on other countries, which will show a lot of distrust. I think that Russian neighbors and the UN will keep a close eye on Russia. After this run with the Beluga whale, everyone will be cautious, and take everything into consideration. Countries will start to think about all of the ways animals could spy from birds to land mammals. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/02/russian-spy-whale-has-defected-to-norway-locals-claim
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not believe that marine wildlife should be used to solve human conflict, or in this case make it worse. Like Kris said, it is true that animals have been used for many many years such as dogs, horses, etc. for military or govt. purposes. But those animals are used to and trained to be in contact with humans usually for their whole lives. They are more accustomed to working alongside people, while marine wildlife is not necessarily and hasn't been in the past. This also only adds to tensions between Russia and the US, and possibly among other countries, due to trust issues. Animals don't have the choice or option to "serve" for a country, and should not be forced to only for the benefit of one govt.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe we should be utilizing marine life to conduct surveillance. The addition of these specialized marine animals could disrupt the ecosystem of marine life, not to mention drastically alter the population of the animal in question. Furthermore, we have no idea what the Russians do to train these marine animals, and we have no way of regulating it. The utilization of marine animals for military use could cause them to be over utilized and develop unnatural behaviors. While having a beluga whale army, like Michael said, would be totally epic, it would definitely violate the marine animals and their way of life.
ReplyDeleteI do not support the idea of training marine animals for military use because I think that using animals to spy on the enemies is risky. Putting a harness onto the whale that is equipped with a camera is also unsafe because it could fall off at anytime. Relying on dolphins to do tasks like killing divers and solving tasks is cruel. In my opinion, I think the animals should be let go and free. Training these marine animals will only increase the tension between the US and Russia. We cannot keep using these whales as spies, and we should cut this idea out before more countries start using this idea.
ReplyDeleteI feel the training of marine animals for military use is fine as long as no danger or abuse of the animal is involved. Combat Dolphins aren't too different from using horses or dogs. I think a line is drawn if the dolphins are put in restrictive and harmful conditions. Many dolphins are already endangered and we need to make sure the species does not go extinct. Already, one of every four dolphin species are close to extinction. I believe this event will definitely increase tensions between the US and Russia. Although their relationship has drastically improved since the cold war era, it's not amazing. The US has reason to distrust the Russians as they could be lying. I think Russia's neighbors and the UN shouldn't put any restrictions on dolphins, but should watch out for what kind of information the dolphins are getting. We need to make sure the dolphins aren't doing anything bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point on how military use of these marine animals is fine as long as their not getting abused in any way. I think they'll definitely be crossing a line if they're using endangered animals for their own personal gain rather than looking at the rarity of the animals and how close they are to extinction. However I personally don't it's going to affect U.S.-Russia tensions because Russia's focus seems to be using the animals for surveillance around Europe. I feel like using marine animals such as dolphins and whales would be ineffective especially considering the amount of ocean space there is between the two countries. Also this isn't any new news to the U.S. as the Russians been trying to perfect their animals in the cold war just like the U.S.
DeleteWhile some may see utilizing animals for military use, as long as the species is not endangered I feel that it is fine to use animals as a means for military purpose besides combat. Historically animals have been utilized before and are a stealthy way for countries to gain an advantage over another one. In terms of just Russia some may feel that it’s not right to use marine animals, but the US also uses animals for military purposes such as police dogs to sniff out drugs in an airport for example. Additionally, according to the cited article, similarly to Russia now, the US Navy has also used dolphins and sea lions in California during the Cold War too. Using animals efficient since it is hard to keep out foreign “spying” animals without harming natural/wild animals in the environment too. This makes it harder for other countries to get rid of the trained animals.
ReplyDeleteI think the outbreak does put Russian-US tensions at risk but I feel that the US most likely previously knew that animals were being utilized by the Russian government, which I feel does not make a dramatic change in the relations between the two countries. Russia’s neighbors most likely want to find a means to get rid of the trained animals or form a treaty to prevent the potential abuse and misuse of animal aid for military purposes. On the other hand, according to National Geographic, as of April 8th, the Russian government promised to release their dolphins into the wild.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/orca-and-beluga-whales-trapped-in-russia-for-aquarium-trade/
It's not surprising animals are trained for military use. A famous example is the Wojtek bear that served in the Polish Army by carrying artillery shells (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lu4rW0xaZQ). The news won't affect foreign relations at all because the whale was used for research purposes in Russia and escaped. There is no way the whale was intended to be a spy. If Russia has access to GoPro cameras that can last for weeks and shoot 4k I think the UN has bigger problems to deal with.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not sure whether I support this use of marine animals for army use or not, I am not at all surprised by these actions. When it comes to war, conflicts or building ones army, it has become very clear that nothing is off limits when it comes to gaining an advantage over other countries or gaining some insight into what they are doing. I personally don't have any issue with the use of marine animals as long as it does not in any form harm them or hurt their way of life. If they are taken care of properly and are allowed to live, I don't see any reason that countries shouldn't be allowed to use these animals to try to gain an advantage. But at the same time I am not sure that it should be continued because while it is easy to say that they won't be hurt in this process, countries often push boundaries when it comes to conflict and I doubt they would care about the lives of some marine animals. I believe that this could impact tension between Russia and the US because it just gives the US more things to be suspicious about and would probably cause the US to follow the moves of Russia even closer and to monitor all their moves. I am not sure that there is much that other countries can do because the water surrounding them does not belong to them and is not their property, especially considering that these are sea animals, it is nearly impossible to control where they go because the water is their home. Countries will just have to wait and see how far countries will try to push this and then act on this.
ReplyDeleteI do not think this event will have any effect on U.S Russia tensions because as stated in the article it was commonly known that Russian were training marine animals. Also as stated in the article this whale was an escapee not a spy. I do not really like the idea of us training animals to do tasks for our wars because even though its cool its very unethical. Doing dangerous tasks puts the animals at risk for something that does not even benefit them.
ReplyDeleteThe use of animals for military use is a very clever idea. Marine mammals are very intelligent and can be used for many useful purposes. According to Paul Nachtigall, head of the marine mammal research program at the University of Hawaii in Kane'ohe Bay, "[Bottlenose dolphins] are better than any machine as far as detecting mines."(https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140328-navy-dolphin-sea-lion-combat-ocean-animal-science/) Marine mammals are especially known for being intelligent. Paul emphasizes the usefulness of marine mammals in the military. However, if the idea is used wrongly, it can be wrong and unethical. Firstly, the idea of killing foreign divers is ridiculous. Training animals for violence is definitely immoral. Secondly, marine mammals kept in captivity for entertainment purposes has been abused, and the same problems will possibly arise for marine mammals in military use. Thirdly, the capturing of the marine animals is also a problem. For example, SeaWorld is known for their traumatic and abusive captures of orcas. This is not only unethical to the marine animals, but it also disrupts the entire marine ecosystem as a whole. Overall, using marine animals for military use can be very beneficial to countries, but the idea can be easily abused and detrimental to human morals.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a beluga whale spying for Putin sounds absurd, and I’m really having a hard time believing this. I don’t think animals should be used for military use for things like spying- How exactly is a beluga whale with a Go Pro camera strapped to it going to be more effective at spying on another country than a human spying? Furthermore, I don’t even think that a Beluga whale spy is going to affect US and Russia tensions. First, in the article, reporters on the topic doubt that the whale is a spy in the first place and are questioning the news. Second, the beluga whale spy is in Norway, so how exactly does it have anything to do with the US? Third, even if the whale spy was real, what is so important about a go pro strapped to a beluga whale spying for Putin? I highly doubt the whale would’ve picked up any crucial information, if it isn’t even useless recordings on the go pro in the first place. As for the world regarding this news, I don’t think people will be seriously considering marine wildlife in military efforts anytime soon, as it isn’t the most effective use of them and simply training the marine animals is tedious enough.
ReplyDeleteRussia has some ideas to create, or at least some ideas to make their ideas a reality. Although it is very creative, young people like teenagers Michael (pictured above) may think that it is too cold, but I do not think it will continue. Animals do not need to work as a military equipment for a country because they can not choose what they are doing or who they are doing. In my opinion this is a kind of marginal animal abuse because as part of the army, you force this animal to risk your life to enter your country. When a country uses a shield, it is different because the dog receives a bigger reward. They see drugs or bombs on their unique nose, which is a great benefit. It is still evident because there are more than 2,700 US military dogs and more dog warriors in the world. I think we should take a line where we can be used as soldiers, which we can not and should not.
ReplyDeleteAs many have said, I don't think marine mammals should be used in human conflicts like U.S and Russia. Marine animals don't know what's going on, and therefore humans shouldn't use them. I think this is animal cruelty and should not be tolerated with anyone. It makes me sad how Russia is willing to put animals lives at risk, just to spy on U.S and "win."
ReplyDeleteHad I been a character in a cartoon or action movie, I might have thought that spy dolphins or beluga whales are rad as hell and absolutely the best idea I've heard for espionage. However, the possible endangerment of dolphins and beluga whales immediately puts me off from that thought, as this "whale soldier" program would create a demand for dolphins and beluga whales that might decimate populations. The only way I could see US-Russia tensions increasing over this issue would be the US condemning using these animals for war, but considering our president and how his administration acts, and how we already know Russia is spying on us at every corner, I doubt this will come at a surprise or at any major reaction whatsoever. As for preparations, killing all the belugas and dolphins would do no good, so the best possible options would be to keep an extra special lookout for irregularly behaving sea mammals and start sonar scanning the surrounding oceans. If one is found, take off any spy equipment it may have on it and release it into the wild. Granted, this is an idealistic approach, and it's doubtful any country would want to do anything but immediately kill the spies, but it's the best approach for both the environment and the countries.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not know how to react to this article or topic. While this specific occurrence seems unusual, I'm not totally shocked by the use of marine animals in military ops. I don't think this will trigger developments or rising in tensions in today's society and international community, but I do think that this primary isolated situation could have some interesting outcomes. The ethics of this topic does bring up an interesting question and I'm not sure how to feel as a result of the presentation of this information. I believe that the use of marine animals unethical and ethical, for we are the apex predators, and therefore, following the great chain of being, we have the right to manipulate the lower levels- unfortunately. It's also unethical in the sense that we are harming marine life and putting fine animals into deep risk.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that animals should be used as it affects marine life and is no different than training young kids to become soldiers. Although the whale was harmless and was not actually spying on the US, it could still affect tensions with the US and Russia. The fact that a whale could be a potential spy raises the question of "what else is Russia researching and trying to implement?" I think that countries may potentially be on alert as they do not know what may be dangerous and what may not be dangerous to them.
ReplyDeleteI think that as long as the marine animals are not abused and are used to gain information in a non-violent way, it is fine. They are currently causing no harm to other countries and it seems to not be a very wide spread issue. However, people may be concerned that this was just the first step to a kind of marine army. While that may not sound threatening, I think it could do harm if successful. With the high tension between the US and Russia, it is only a matter of time before marine animals will become necessary to have an advantage. People may even wonder if the present training of marine life is just to test whether they could complete their own underwater missions, and then, will they be trained to do more extreme and even dangerous tasks? I think people may become more cautious because if this is successful, how far will Russia go in training these animals. I believe that if the marine life's use stays within the limits of collecting information then it is acceptable, since no harm is being done. Although other countries should stay cautious as who truly knows how far marine animal training will go. Until then, I think it is actually quite interesting to be able to train marine life to complete military tasks.
ReplyDeleteI believe that training animals in general for military use is unnatural and strange though I understand that they can be very effective as seen throughout history. And though we can’t assume, there is no guarantee that this whale has not gone through abuse during training. As a Norwegian local said, the whale “may not survive in the wild if it doesn't know how to hunt” (https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/03/europe/beluga-whale-norway-scli-intl/index.html). Because we do not know the details about how these animals are being trained it is concerning that they could be adapting to a very unnatural environment that will later affect its livelihood. In addition, if the Russian navy - or any other country - were to train marine animals in increasing numbers there will no doubt be an impact on the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteI think that using animals for military use is fine as long as the animals are protected. I think that they should not be used extensively, however, because it could lead to lower care of the animals and targeting of them by military services.I think that this spying will weaken US-Russian connections because they have never been able to trust each other, so by having spyware in each other's territory it is just going to add tension. I think that internationally countries should come to regulations as far as spyware and military extensiveness to avoid unnecessary increases in tensions or inhumane acts.
ReplyDeleteHearing about the use of animals for military usage is both shocking and intriguing to me. But after doing more research, I think it can be an effective advantage to train animals as they serve different functions. Although it can be effective, it also risks harm to these marine animals.It could worsen their trust between the countries if they feel like they're being watched. And ultimately, tensions between Russia and the US will increase.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of training for marine animals for military use, I feel that as long as they training specifically doesn't induce factors associated with abuse, it would be fine. As it is for military operation, its overall existence will have danger but on the idea of training specifically, that's my stance. I don't think that the outbreak of this will really affect tensions between the two nations as both have probably assumed of each other's secret shenanigans with each other and utilizing animals doesn't even seem that far off considering the past. Therefore, this wouldn't add much newer information raising tensions, plus as michael has noted, I don't know how effective a gopro would be in the water with a multitude of uncontrollable factors, alongside extended periods of time, Honestly, the next steps after this is investigating generally more into the sourcing of the whale and harness and really analyzing its behavioral patterns to figure out what's happening behind the scenes to a degree.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is okay for marine animals to be used by the military as long as it is not harming the animals, and it is not affecting the species out of captivity. These animals can be a benefit to the military and help them accomplish many tasks more easily. For example, dolphins were used by the navy to find mines underwater when the water was too murky for the humans to see anything. (https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/the-great-dolphin-dilemma/) Due to these animals being quite useful to the military, I think it is okay for them to be used, similar to how dogs and other animals like horses are used to help. However, these animals should be treated well, and efforts should be made to ensure that these animals are not being abused or mistreated in any way. From that article though, it seems that the US navy is treating the dolphins well, as the navy said they are treating the dolphins like crew members. If using marine animals becomes more common, I think more uses will be figured out, and that animals can be used effectively in the military if they are treated well.
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ReplyDeleteUsing animals to help humans is not a new concept, although using marine mammals is fairly new. Honestly, I’m all for it, even though it is a little odd. As long as Russia is treating the belugas well and RESPONSIBLY collecting data, I support the use of marine mammals in warfare. I’m not sure everyone will have the same view as me though, especially America as a whole. America will likely assume that Russia is collecting private data of some sort or feel threatened because the Russian army is making advancements that the American army has not yet made. I think the use of marine mammals is quite interesting, but since this “technology” is so new, I think there needs to be some guidelines and laws set in place. Russia should have boundaries set up so they aren’t allowed to collect personal data/spy on people past a certain point. We should figure out these laws now before conflict starts arising.
The use of a beluga whale as a spy by Russia doesn't surprise me. There have been many occasions where the US has used animals for surveillance on their own population and other countries. There has been attaching cameras to pigeons to spending years training a cat to spy on other countries only for it to get hit by a car once released. This may seem very comical to the average person, which is reasonable, but this points out how serious governments are to get intel from one another. To me personally, I don't think the discovery of surveillance animals will affect US-Russia relations. I think it is fairly common knowledge that countries will spy on each other and it's very difficult to stop information from getting out of the country. I believe that the White House will make a statement condemning the actions made by Russia because they need to create a sense of responsibility to other countries, but I don't think any big policy change will come of this.
ReplyDeleteI think that using animals for military user is a creative way to solve an issue. I think the weird part would be wether or not the opposing forces could kill the trained animals due to ethical reasons. I think that could an interesting conversation between countries should war break out involving animals. I don't think tensions would rise between Russia, the US, and other countries because a whale with some tech on it doesn't seem to be a sign of aggression or anything, in fact it seems easier harmless in the current situation. There are definitely much larger threats to be worried about. The UN could put restrictions on usage of animals in combat or military application due to the bizarre nature of it. Also, it raises some concerns for environmental impact as well. I'm also sure that Peta has something to say about this and that could have influence what happens as well.
ReplyDeleteEric L
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ReplyDeleteSince this is a similar situation to the Cold War, it will most likely poke at Russia-US tensions. It was definitely a shock to me that multiple countries use marine animals for military use, especially since I believed we have the technology to not rely on animals. I suppose that now with whales and dolphins, Russia can set up military in areas of the ocean, and country territories and spheres of influence would have to be clarified. Russian officials claim that their neighbors and the UN already know about their killer whale and dolphins military. Some steps they could have taken are training their own marine animal military to keep watch of Russia’s spies, and to potentially be prepared if Russia were to attack. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-europe-48090616)