The U.S.

Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) is a program administered by the U.S.

Navy which studies the military use of marine mammals (principally Bottlenose Dolphins and California Sea Lions) and trains animals to perform tasks such as ship and harbour protection, mine detection and clearance, and equipment recovery.

The NMMP has received much sensational coverage in the media, in some part because of the unusual nature of the program and the controversial concept of using intelligent marine mammals for military purposes.

The NMMP was classified until the early 1990s, which also contributed to speculation about its true nature and even its proper title, with some referring to it as the Cetacean Intelligence Mission..

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