the uk maintained the air ministry pigeon section during world war ii and for a while thereafter. a pigeon policy committee made decisions about the uses of pigeons in military contexts. the head of the section, lea rayner, reported in 1945 that pigeons could be trained to deliver small explosives or bioweapons to precise targets. the ideas were not taken up by the committee, and in 1948 the uk military stated that pigeons were of no further use. during the war, messenger pigeons could draw a special allowance of corn and seed, but as soon as the war ended this had been cancelled and anyone keeping pigeons would have to draw on their own personal rationed corn and seed to also feed the pigeons. however, the uk security service mi5 was still concerned about the use of pigeons by enemy forces. until 1950, they arranged for 100 birds to be maintained by a civilian pigeon fancier in order to prepare countermeasures. the swiss army disbanded its pigeon section in 1996.