While master of the vessel USS Supply in 1855 then Lieutenant David Dixon Porter was charged with the mission of finding and purchasing herds of Camels for use on the American southwest frontier by order of then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis through the U.S. Congress. This is pertinent to our consideration of the Civil War because the critters were still around during the conflict, though relatively unused by the Confederates in charge of them. It is interesting to note the same scheme of using these beasts of burden as war transport has cropped up again in the mechanized 21st century as noted in the attached UN report. H.E.W.
For a full review of the U.S. Camel Corps please see: http://www.drumbarracks.org/original%20website/Camel%20Corps.html
India plans to send combat-trained camels to solve the transport headache facing a fledgling UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan?s strife-torn Darfur region, officers here say.
India?s Border Security Force (BSF) said it received a request last week from the United Nations to send the specially schooled animals to the troubled African region.
"In principle the BSF has agreed to the request and will wait for the UN to approach it through the ministry of home affairs," said the chief of India?s elite 200,000-member frontier force, A. K. Mitra.
Last week the head of the UN department of peacekeeping operations, said they may fail to protect civilians in Darfur without the required air mobility and firepower.
The United States also said it was "deeply troubled" by the government of Sudan?s "foot-dragging and obstruction" on the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.
But diplomats say several Western countries able to provide hardware such as helicopters are reluctant to do so because of a lack of confidence in the command and control structure for the joint force.
The BSF in India also warned that any deployment of trained camels to transport foot soldiers in Darfur may be some time away.
"All our camels are engaged in border-guarding duties and this whole process could take a long time," said BSF spokesman Vijay Singh, adding the agency could currently spare up to 60 of its 700-plus battle-ready animals for Sudan.
Indian border security forces use camels for long-range reconnaissance, including night patrols to track arms and drugs smugglers heading into the western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat from nearby Pakistan.
India and South Africa are the only countries known to use camels for military purposes.
BSF deputy commandant Kamal Kumar Rathore, who heads the force?s camel division, said India could purchase the animals from the open market and transport them to Sudan after a crash course in combat.
"There is no dearth of camels and we can make outright purchases, put them through a capsule course of four months and dispatch them to that country," Rathore said.
He said the camels conscripted into the BSF are trained not to react to gunfire and are taught to crawl and follow other "soldierly movements".
"Our camels move up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) with short breaks carrying ammunition and two mounts and they would be perfect.... I would be happy to lead them into Sudan," Rathore said.
Transferring the animals could be a logistical headache although the Indian air force is equipped with huge Russian-made Illushin-76 transport aircraft capable of handling tanks and trucks. (They really smell foul, folks HW)
The deployment of camels would be another peacekeeping first for India.
Last November, the country sent 125 policewomen to Liberia the first time the UN has deployed an all-female combat unit in a trouble zone.