Dolphin (Red Alert 3)

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are incredibly intelligent marine mammals. Specially-trained dolphins are an integral part of the Allied Navy, who used them as scouts and cheap defence against enemy ships.

WWIII Operational History
"Skeee'tc, eek, eeee, ee, eek!" (Lit. "So long and thanks for all the fish!")
 * -  Babelfish the Dolphin, after a meal before heading back into combat

When famed, if slightly unstable, marine biologist William McTavish the Third invented his sonar communication system so he could personally tell the aquatic mammals in tank four to stop squeaking at four in the morning, nobody could have expected the results; the Dolphins talked back! After trial runs in the Scotland-based Carmichael Aqualabs, McTavish took his invention to open waters with an Allied military observer to share his findings; not only could dolphins speak back through his device, but the things they were saying had immediate military value.

The Soviet Union, they said, had made enemies not just all over the world, but under the water as well, their industrial excess polluting the seas and ruining natural habitats. "We too," they said, "are being invaded by their Akula submarines." This led to an unparalleled development in mankind's history; for the first time, two species were united as equals so they could beat up communists.

Though initially met with scepticism, the Allies' plans to use dolphins in open naval warfare against the Soviet Union is widely held today as one of the finest, most forward-thinking military initiatives of the last quarter century. Though the decision is not without controversy, to this day, Allied officials continue to staunchly defend their research-and-development into training eager dolphin volunteers, insisting that they have taught these creatures to defend themselves and their aquatic homes.

Notwithstanding the ongoing ethical debate, Allied dolphins - fitted with specially made, fully-waterproof sonic disruptor technology -- are indisputably effective. With proper training, these intelligent and vaguely patriotic creatures can quickly and accurately relay the coordinates of foreign sea vessels, and in groups, they can do battle with surprisingly effective results.

The Dolphins' sonic weaponry acts almost like a physical underwater jackhammer, pounding enemy targets until they begin to break apart. The dolphins are able to ignore the weapon frequencies and still communicate effectively with each other and their commanders even in the midst of all-out war versus the likes of their worst enemies, the Soviet Union's Akula-class submersibles.

The Soviets have expressed open frustration with the dolphin warfare, however, and continue to experiment with new ways of combating these swift and brave creatures. For example, their new Stingray strike craft are known to send dangerous levels of electricity coursing through the waters -- yet, in turn, the Allies' dolphins can leap high and far up and out of the water, out of harm's way.

A generation of sailors and war veterans once said that dolphins have no place on the modern battlefield, and that conventional ships and weapons are far superior in every way. However, after one now-famous dolphin single-flipperedly sank a Soviet dreadnought off the coast of Brighton Beach, only the Soviet Union's loudest propagandists still cling to this belief. (For her noble sacrifice, Puddles McIntyre posthumously received the Allies' most prestigious medal.)

Late in 1968, a fully branch of the Allied Navy was dedicated to the Dolphin military, complete with its own rank system and unique set of military honours (mostly revolving around being fed fish.) The Dolphin is so integrated into Allied culture, a political cartoon was made referencing the formation of the Federalist party, showing McCarthy as a dolphin jumping over a waterlogged donkey and elephant, which led to the Federalist party taking the dolphin as its symbol. For their part, the dolphins seem determined to continue the fight against the Soviet Union, as well as the Empire who, they point out, hunt and eat dolphins.

Post-War Operational History
With the end of WWIII, dolphins have been commended for their outstanding valour and commitment to the Allies in the war. Their rewards have been numerous, the most notable ones being a much higher raise in fish, as well as the stocking of additional beach balls at Seaports. Additionally, recent improvements in sonic technology have greatly augmented the performance of the Dolphins' harnesses.

Rear Admiral Squeeky has proposed to the Allied Navy that dolphins be trained to operate deeper underwater, rising only to breathe. He explained that this would reduce dolphin casualties and better avoid enemy fire, as well as allowing dolphin strike forces to sneak behind lines. This has been approved and widely done, but the Allied Navy has also sent out warnings that the Sonic Disruptor can't be used underwater without deafening the dolphin in question and requires a few seconds to get to the surface, so dolphin attacks are no longer instantaneous.

In addition, Carmichael Aqualabs has recently developed a set of tools that fit over a dolphin's harness, allowing dolphins to manipulate objects with considerable dexterity. The tools have caught on, and one such tool used by dolphins while in combat is known as the sonar screwdriver. This tool allows dolphins to conduct repairs to friendly ships, patching up damage in areas that a human would have trouble reaching. The only thing is that the tools require extensive training to use properly, as several accidents involving the use of such tools has shown.