The United States military's elite working dogs are close to getting a major upgrade — or so says the newly launched company Warhound.
On Thursday, Warhound, a new defense technology company started by Anduril Technologies' Palmer Luckey and Colossal's Ben Lamm, emerged from a $200 million seed round promising a quick turnaround on its new dogs.
'Man's best friend deserves man's best tech.'
Under CEO David Spirk, the new project from Luckey and Lamm will attempt to revitalize and optimize the military's supply of working dogs through genetic engineering.
Colossal, the company best known for its attempts to bring back the woolly mammoth and the dodo bird, will provide its advanced genetics platform and secure biobanking capabilities, while Anduril will equip the dogs with advanced cybernetic augmentations for increased awareness and effectiveness on missions.
The result will be, the company says, a group of healthier dogs that are better equipped for missions without increasing reliance on Europe for the supply.
"Man's best friend deserves man's best tech," said Palmer Luckey in a Warhound press release.
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"Colossal has spent years pioneering breakthroughs in genetics, cloning, and animal biology, and now we're applying that science to give these dogs the best possible chance at a long, healthy life and a successful mission. If we're going to ask man's best friend to protect America, we owe it to them to use every tool at our disposal to protect them, too," said Ben Lamm.
The Texas-based company is backed by In-Q-Tel, Sequoia Capital, Ark Invest, 8VC, Breyer Capital, and Neogenesis, to name a few of its early investors.
The company's announcement, however, received some immediate pushback from commenters online.
One commenter, for example, came out swinging at the prospect of "genetically modified" military dogs: "Hey so this should be f**king illegal."
Palmer Luckey replied to the comment, attempting to dispel some of the concerns about the "genetic modifications" that the company plans to make on the dogs in the program.
"Which part of this do you object to? The hearing protection? The eye protection? The body armor? Or gene edits that makes them less likely to develop cancer and joint problems?" Luckey wrote.
"There is a reason the American Humane Society is supporting this," he added.
Indeed, the American Humane Society will support and oversee the treatment of the dogs in the program. The organization will also assist with finding homes for the dogs when they retire from their service.
"We owe these dogs a commitment to their well-being that matches their service to us. What excites me about Warhound is the opportunity to make health, welfare, and exceptional care fundamental to a working-dog program from the very beginning," Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of the American Humane Society, said. "Success means helping these dogs thrive throughout their lives — from training and active service to the loving, dignified retirement every canine hero deserves."
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[H/T Blaze Media]
