Meet the GOATS of wildfire prevention at Marines’ Miramar base

Smokey Bear may say only you can prevent wildfires, but Marines in California had a different plan this week, calling in fire support from almost 500 four-legged reinforcements: goats. 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar launched a pilot program Tuesday that brought a 471-strong working party of nature’s finest foraging machines to chomp its way through dry vegetation across a large portion of the base’s training area.

The effort — dubbed Operation Goat Rope — marks the first time a U.S. military installation has used grazing animals as part of wildfire prevention efforts, according to base officials.  

Cole Bush, the founder of Shepherdess Land and Livestock, releases goats from an 18-wheeler during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. MCAS Miramar partnered with Shepherdess Land and Livestock to bring over 400 goats to East Miramar to graze on vegetation and help reduce wildfire risk. (Cpl. Seferino Gamez)

Goats run out of an 18-wheeler during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. (Cpl. Seferino Gamez)

Over the next several weeks, the goats from Shepherdess Land and Livestock will graze on an initial sector of more than 600 acres of the base’s explosive ordnance disposal training area before moving to other zones, base spokesman 1st Lt. Blake Starbuck said. 

The goats are being used to clear dry brush from steep canyon areas that can be difficult for people or machinery to reach. The grazed areas are expected to create buffers that could slow the spread of a wildfire, according to a Marine Corps statement Thursday.

The livestock company has used goats and sheep since 2020 for targeted grazing to reduce wildfire risks and manage vegetation, according to its website.

A herd of goats grazes on a hillside during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. (Seferino Gamez/U.S. Marine Corps)

A herd of goats grazes on vegetation behind a wire fence during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. MCAS Miramar partnered with Shepherdess Land and Livestock to bring over 400 goats to East Miramar to graze on vegetation and help reduce wildfire risk. The initiative makes MCAS Miramar the first U.S. military installation to use goats in this type of wildfire mitigation effort. (Cpl. Seferino Gamez)

“This nature-based initiative reduces wildfire hazards along the base perimeter, protects critical military infrastructure, and preserves sensitive native habitats without the emissions, soil disruption, or chemical runoff associated with traditional mechanical clearing,” Starbuck said.

Brush and wildfires are a persistent concern on military training lands in Southern California, particularly during peak dry seasons. 

At Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, about 45 minutes north of Miramar, 101 wildfires break out each year on average across the installation, much of which is undeveloped training land, according to a service release in August.

The goats are expected to remain in Miramar’s training areas for about five to six weeks, Starbuck said. 

A goat looks through a fenced gate during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. MCAS Miramar launched a pilot program using 471 goats to clear dry brush and reduce wildfire risk. Officials said it is the first U.S. military installation to use goats for this type of wildfire mitigation. (Seferino Gamez/U.S. Marine Corps)

Goats look out toward the grazing area during Operation Goat Rope at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Sept. 15, 2026. (Seferino Gamez/U.S. Marine Corps)

He said the pilot program will also allow officials to measure the long-term effectiveness of targeted grazing and determine whether the approach could be used for future wildfire mitigation efforts.

Joshua Allen, the fire chief at Miramar, said in the statement that defensible space is the greatest asset in battling blazes in Southern California.

“The strategic fuel breaks created by this targeted grazing program slow a fire’s advance and lower the energy released,” Allen said. “This gives our firefighting crews the critical time and tactical advantage they need to suppress a blaze safely and effectively before it escalates.”