The Plan to Put Super Dogs on the Battlefield of the Future

The U.S. military has long banked on new types of technology to give soldiers an edge on the battlefields of the future. A startup now wants dogs to have a similar advantage, genetically modifying man’s best friend to make them run faster, have a keener sense of smell and avoid common genetic conditions.

The idea for a military super dog was conceived by Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense tech firm Anduril Industries, and Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, a bioengineering company that aims to protect endangered species and bring back extinct animals.

Warhound said it has secured $200 million in its first funding round from investors, including In-Q-Tel, the CIA-linked venture-capital firm, and Sequoia Capital. Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia who is leading the firm’s investment, is a Pentagon adviser. The funding puts the company’s valuation at $1.2 billion, according to PitchBook, a financial research firm.

Based in Texas, the company aims to collect cells from top-performing military and law enforcement dogs, then freeze them and clone the animals, Lamm said. It could then remove deleterious alleles—gene variants that can cause disease or defects—such as those associated with hip dysplasia or other genetic conditions. Eventually, the company aims to improve dogs’ sense of smell, speed and agility.

Anduril, which makes weapons and software, will provide eye and hearing protection and body armor for the dogs. Colossal has an equity stake in Warhound, and Lamm sits on its board. Anduril has no stake in the company, and Luckey isn’t a board member.

With nearly 90% of the military’s working dogs purchased from overseas, Warhound also wants to increase the number of domestically sourced working dogs. “We have to do something to onshore what really is a living supply chain,” said David Spirk, the company’s chief executive.

The Air Force, which oversees military working dog training for the Pentagon, declined to comment on the new company. Luckey didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Warhound said the dogs would be outfitted with the sensing technology. Anduril has developed an AI-powered helmet for humans that is supposed to give soldiers better awareness of their surroundings. The prototype is in early testing stages.

Warhound is starting its work with Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds, but plans to include Labradors and other breeds as well. Its first puppies are expected to be born in the first quarter of 2027.

Lamm began talking to Luckey about working dogs backstage at a conference about a year and a half ago.

Spirk, a former Marine who was the Pentagon’s first chief data officer and previously worked at Palantir Technologies, said Warhound has 10 employees and is looking to hire military and law enforcement veterans with K9 experience.

The venture marks a new foray for Luckey, who has branched out from running Anduril, which was recently valued at $90 billion. His bank, Erebor Bank, received a national charter in February and is catering to startups and wealthy individuals.

Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose Luckey to serve on a committee to study the future of warfare.

Colossal Biosciences has been on a quest to bring back extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth and dodo. The company has been panned by some academics and scientists, who doubt Colossal’s claims of scientific breakthroughs and warn that introducing heavily genetically altered creatures can cause dangerous ecological disruption.

Lamm believes advances in AI, quantum computing and bioscience will allow the company to ultimately engineer new forms of life.