FORT IRWIN, Calif. — The National Training Center and Fort Irwin’s Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) completed their Military Working Dog (MWD) Certifications from Nov. 16 – 20.

All four Fort Irwin MWD teams certified and are 100% ready to support not only the Fort Irwin community but the entire region of Southern California. There are few, if any other, United States Army Installations that have certified all of their MWD teams, especially within one week.

MWDs are an essential and prized law enforcement asset to have on any United States Military Installation. Both the dogs and their handlers work every day to prepare to become certified teams able to conduct their duties by protecting the community.

There are two types of MWDs at Fort Irwin— one is used for tracking down and identifying narcotics and the other helps identify explosives. During these certifications, both dog and handler go through training scenarios to make sure they are operating in a synchronized manner to locate the specific substance/ordnance that the particular team is trained to do.

NTC’s K-9 teams are now able to operate on multiple military installations to prevent drug trafficking, assist in locating unexploded ordnances and possible insider threats, and keep the military community safe.