Military forces the world over devote massive amounts of time and money to develop technology that will give their soldiers the edge. For example, US military contractors came up with the LS3 (Legged Squad Support System), a robot designed to transport the cargo of army squads operating in rough terrain and bad weather. The United States spent millions of dollars to develop the horselike concept before putting it out to pasture recently because it was too noisy.

But there is already a legged support system, one that has been in service for thousands of years: mules. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) still pays attention to these "organic cargo carrier systems" that provide support to commando units and teams operating in dangerous or difficult conditions. The TSK's 2016 budget has provisions to procure about 900 mules for the army.

The budget lists the physical characteristics of the animals needed. Each mule will cost no more than 1,800 Turkish lira ($600). Each one must stand at least 4 feet tall and have a chest span of 5 feet.

My first experience with mules in the military was in April 2000, during an operation in northern Iraq’s mountainous terrain known as Metina. At that time, as Turkish Special Forces teams, we used to participate in Kurdish peshmerga operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to provide liaison for close air support and air medical evacuation.