I could not find an Official Army Regulation stating the dogs will outrank their handler. It appears to be a Tradition. Here is what I did find:
- According to a 2011 blog post by the US Military, military service dogs are all NCO – non commissioned officers – and are given a rank higher than their handler. This tradition is in place to maintain order while training and on missions. As a higher ranking officer, any mistreatment of the dog will result in severe disciplinary action for the handler, thus ensuring the dog is being treated well within the military
- TRADOC BLOG Post: A Unique Bond Every military working dog is an NCO – in tradition at least. Some say the custom was to prevent handlers from mistreating their dogs; hence, a dog is always one rank higher than its handler. https://www.army.mil/article/56965/
Comments
Stephen Ryan
Good article! Thanks for the great explanation of what military dogs do.
Stephen Ryan
There are currently ~1,600 dogs serving the military. Their missions span across the land, air, and sea! Military dogs are trained for specific jobs. They may patrol, search and rescue, detect, track, and attack.