Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week: Nominations, please, for War Dog(s) of the Year

By Rebecca Frankel Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent This was another huge year for the War Dog community — not only here in the United States, but worldwide. And for the first time, we at the Best Defense will be honoring one dog and one person who have made an exceptional difference in the war-dogs’ ...

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Willis
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Willis
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Willis

By Rebecca Frankel
Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent

By Rebecca Frankel
Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent

This was another huge year for the War Dog community — not only here in the United States, but worldwide. And for the first time, we at the Best Defense will be honoring one dog and one person who have made an exceptional difference in the war-dogs’ lives he or she has touched in 2013. And because this world is so incredibly vast, encompassing many communities within, these nominations need not be limited to enlisted servicemen and women and dogs.

It certainly could be a deployed service dog (like Ruth, pictured here), but it could also be a therapy dog (combat or otherwise), or a retired service dog, or even a civilian canine making rounds in a veterans’ hospital. As for the two-legged honoree, again, it could be a deployed handler, but he or she need only be an individual who as impacted the war-dog community for the better — a handler, a therapy dog trainer, a veterinarian or medic, a generous individual whose simply given their time in support of our deployed MWDs and their handlers. All’s to say, the scope here is very wide.

So, we’re asking readers to send in their nominations. You can make a comment here on this post or send an email to: WarDogoftheWeek@gmail.com by Tuesday, Dec. 31. Tom has generously offered to present a signed copy of one of his books as a prize. I’ll pitch in the doggles and super-sized doggie bone.

Above, MWD Ruth, with the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Group, takes a break from her obstacle course training at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on April 28.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.