Military and security systems use animals as operational assets within defence, policing, and surveillance infrastructures. Animals are trained, conditioned, and deployed to perform roles including detection, patrol, tracking, crowd control, and tactical support, integrating their sensory and behavioural capacities into structured security operations.

While applications vary across institutions and regions, the underlying structure remains consistent: animals are selected for specific traits such as trainability, responsiveness, and sensory acuity, then subjected to controlled training and deployment cycles. Their use is organised around reliability, performance, and operational readiness, with animals functioning as embedded components within human security systems.

See it by species

This index includes species that are trained and deployed within military, policing, and security operations, regardless of geography or institutional context.