SHADOW WOLVES

21 in service

1 death

Ironically, in a world of technology, computers and satellites, the military is once again calling on the capabilities of the Indians to solve a modern military problem. The United States today needs men who are able to track enemies through radar, electrical detectors, cameras and laser technology.

The Shadow Wolves is a unit of the US Department of Homeland Defense, attached to the Department of Immigration and Customs. The shadow wolves' main mission is to hunt down drug couriers between Mexico and the United States in the state of Arizona.

The unit was created in 1972 in the Tohono o'odham Indian Reserve. The main rule for enlisting is to have at least ¼ Amerindian blood.

In 2003, the shadow wolves created a second unit in Montana to monitor the Canada-US border.

Although equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, the Shadow wolves prefer to use ancestral methods to hunt down traffickers.

The shadow wolves is the only unit of the Department of Internal Defense entirely composed of Amerindians.

The territory covered by the unit represents more than 11,000 km2.

The unit currently comprises 15 members from 9 different nations: Tohono O'odham, Kiowa, Navajo, Sioux, Blackfeet, Yurok, Omaha, Yaqui and Pima.

Since 2006, they have contributed to the seizure of 31 tons of drugs, 43 traffickers and 16 vehicles.

The Shadow Wolves have also contributed to unit training around the world including Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. She was also sent to Afghanistan and Pakistan to hunt down terrorists and train soldiers to follow trails in a traditional way.