According to "FM 3-05.213 (FM 31-27) Special Forces Use of Pack Animals" from 2004 [1] "Today and throughout the operational continuum, SF may find themselves involved in operations in rural or remote environments, such as Operations UPHOLD DEMOCRACY or ENDURING FREEDOM, using pack animals."

[1] https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-213.pdf

>I would expect to see some actual mules still in service.

SF have been using horses in places like Afghanistan for the past 2 decades and while DARPA is working on a robotic mule the DoD has brought in consultants to advise them about actual mules.

You'd be surprised what the military still does with animals, the Army even still has the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps with 700 something veterinarians for dogs, ceremony horses, working animals etc.

I used a mule in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2010. It was the only way other than helo or a strong back to get supplies up the mountain to out observation point.

Funny story. I was listening to an interview with Chinese historian Carl Zha. According to Zha the CIA ran a breeding program for mules in the 1980s for use in Afghanistan to supply the mujahadeen. The breeding program was in Tennessee and used Tennessee mules. All the mules died after about a year because for whatever reason they couldn't deal with the conditions in Afghanistan. So the CIA went looking for a mule provider in the region and ended up sourcing mules from Uyghur tribesmen in western China. These mules didn't die. And thus began the CIA's relationship with the Uyghur.

I'm not vouching for the authenticity of this story, but it is a good story none the less.