For decades, science fiction writers and futurologists have predicted a time when wars are fought at the push of a button and Terminator-like robo-soldiers fight in place of humans. While the rise of drone warfare suggests that vision may be starting to come true, it would seem that it will not be humans who are first in line to lose their military commission.

‘We’re in a period of transition,’ explains Captain Frank Linkous, head of the US Navy’s Mine Warfare Branch. After nearly 50 years, he says, the Navy plans to phase out its Sea Mammal Program and retire its pods of dolphins and sea lions that are currently used to help locate – and in some cases destroy – sea mines.

‘In general, we’re looking to phase out that program beginning in fiscal year 2017,’ says Linkous.

Swimming into their place is a new generation of robotic mine hunters, he says. But, the shift comes at a critical time. Earlier this year, Iran threatened to mine the Strait of Hormuz, shutting down the critical waterway to commerce. That threat prompted a renewed debate over investment in mine warfare technology, which many naval experts feel has been long neglected.

The difficulty of finding and clearing mines is why dolphins capabilities’ are so prized: their use of echolocation to spot objects is the biological equivalent of sonar, making them an ideal tool for hunting mines. “We’ve got dolphins,” retired Admiral Tim Keating, who commanded the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain, told National Public Radio, when asked how the US might respond if Iran makes good on its threats.

In April, the Navy unveiled its plans for Knifefish, a torpedo-shaped, underwater robot that would roam the seas for up to 16 hours, looking for mines. The 7m- (20ft-) long unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) is still in development, but should be ready by 2017, and will use sonar to hunt mines. ‘The Knifefish UUV is ultimately intended to be the replacement for the marine mammals,’ Linkous says.

Of course, previous efforts to replace military service animals have proved hard, at least when it comes to dogs. For years, scientists have been trying to develop a chemical nose that mimics the capabilities of a canine, but still admit that when it comes to detecting explosives, dogs beat technology hands down.

Similarly, the Navy already admits there may still be some specialised missions where sea mammals are needed past 2017.

BBC