Warhound will produce genetically enhanced working dogs that leverage cybernetics technology to improve health and performance while ending reliance on foreign suppliers
A new defense technology company backed by Palmer Luckey and Ben Lamm says it will use cloning, genetic tools, and battlefield tech to produce working dogs for the U.S. military and police, aiming to cut the country’s reliance on European breeders.
Warhound emerged from stealth Thursday with $200 million in seed funding. The Texas-based company plans to supply dogs to the military, law enforcement agencies, and emergency response teams.
The company is a joint effort of two of Luckey’s and Lamm’s ventures. Colossal Biosciences, the Dallas company Lamm co-founded that is known for its “de-extinction” research, will provide genetics, cloning, and biobanking technology. Anduril Industries, the Costa Mesa, California-based defense contractor Luckey founded, will equip the dogs with what the companies call “cybernetic augments,” along with software and situational-awareness tools.
“Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech,” Luckey said in a statement.
Investors include In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital arm, as well as Sequoia Capital, ARK Invest, Franklin Templeton, 8VC, and Lux Capital.
More than 80% of U.S. military working dogs come from Europe, the company said. Fewer than half of the dogs bought finish a roughly three-year acquisition and training pipeline and are deemed fit for service, meaning the military must source about 200 dogs to field 100.
The Defense Department’s military working dog program uses more than 2,200 dog teams, mainly for detection and patrol work. The program traces its roots to the Army’s K-9 Corps, created in 1942.
Warhound says it can produce fewer dogs that are more likely to stay healthy, finish training, and succeed in the field, reducing the number of animals that wash out.
“Every day, we ask dogs to put their lives on the line to protect ours,” said Lamm, who is also Colossal’s CEO. “If we’re going to ask man’s best friend to protect America, we owe it to them to use every tool at our disposal to protect them, too.”
The company didn’t say how many dogs it plans to produce, when the first would be ready, or whether it has any contracts with the military or law enforcement agencies. It also didn’t specify what genetic changes it would make, beyond saying the dogs would be healthier and suited to demanding missions. Anduril’s equipment will include eye and ear protection for the dogs and its Eagle Eye technology, according to the company.
Warhound will be led by CEO David Spirk, a Marine Corps veteran and former intelligence specialist who served as the Pentagon’s first chief data officer and the first chief data officer for U.S. Special Operations Command. He most recently was a senior counselor at Palantir Technologies.
“Our long-term goal is simple: healthier dogs, better-prepared teams, and more service members and first responders coming home safely,” Spirk said.
The company says it will operate under the guidance of the American Humane Society, which will certify its training programs and help reunite retired military dogs with their former handlers. Warhound also said the program will eventually make technologies and therapeutics available to all dogs.
R. Alta Charo, a professor emerita of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in a statement that the project offers a chance to improve working dogs’ health and welfare, but that “scientific ambition” must be matched by careful ethical review and oversight.
Lamm and Luckey said they came up with the idea for Warhound several years ago after a conversation at a conference hosted by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis.