State of The Nation

How a Widely Believed Misconception Masks the Structural Flaw at the Heart of Military Working Dog Failures Companion Report — Part III  |  March 7, 2026 Most Americans believe military working dogs and their handlers are permanent partners — bonded for life, inseparable in training and war. The reality is the opposite. And that gap between myth and doctrine may be the single most important factor the Pentagon's $142 million corrective action plan fails to address.   By The Epoch Times Investigative Staff  |  Washington, D.C.  |  March 7, 2026  |  Updated 8:00 a.m. ET 📄 Companion Coverage — Part III of III   This article is the third in a three-part series. The first report, "Pentagon Watchdog: Military Working Dogs Walked 10 Minutes a Week, Four Died in Decrepit Kennels Nationwide,"  detailed the findings of DoD IG Report DODIG-2026-057. Part II, "No One Is Responsible," examined the accountabi...

Companion Report - Accountability for MWD Care March 7, 2026 Four dogs are dead. Twenty-two suffered heat injuries. A 55-to-1 disease disparity persisted for years. The Pentagon's Inspector General documented all of it — and recommended consequences for no individual. Here's why, and what that means.   By The Epoch Times Investigative Staff  |  Washington, D.C.  |  March 7, 2026  |  Updated 8:00 a.m. ET 📄 Companion Coverage   This article is the second in a two-part series. The first report, "Pentagon Watchdog: Military Working Dogs Walked 10 Minutes a Week, Four Died in Decrepit Kennels Nationwide," detailed the findings of DoD Inspector General Report DODIG-2026-057 (February 17, 2026). This companion examines who bore command responsibility for the documented failures — and why none of them face personal consequences. ◼ Bottom Line Up Front The DoD Inspector General's February 2026 repo...