Within the industry, it’s been long debated whether or not martial arts training is essential to an agent. And if so, what style? In my opinion, the short answer is, of course, it’s essential. In this industry, we voluntarily take on responsibility for someone else’s defense. This implies that we should have an adept ability to protect ourselves proficiently.
Longevity in Executive Protection
As a newcomer to the industry, I had huge eyes when it came to EP. Everything was exciting and new. Nothing seemed to matter but trying to get seen by agency owners and progressing along—all in the hopes of one day being among the best in the business.
I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to protect people that had important or extraordinary lives while being recognized as a professional. So off I went like a herd of turtles (things are slow at first). I had no clue what I wanted to obtain but knew that it was going to be what I made of it. All I needed was an opportunity.
Formations, Body Cover, & Professional Distance
The key words to remember when escorting a client on foot are flexibility and adaptability. You must be flexible enough to constantly adapt your formations to the environment you are working in, the threat level, and the manpower available. Whatever formation you are using will only be as good as the people you are using in your team. You must select your team carefully. Vet all potential members of your team before you employ them, even if you have known them for a while. Many people can talk the business, but when they get on operations, they are useless. When time allows, conduct rehearsals of all your team drills so in the event of an emergency, everyone knows what to do and what everyone else is doing.
Memorial day, we need it more now, and we need to talk about it.
As the world comes to grips with the effects of COVID-19, it has changing how we live and work in ways we would not have thought possible even months ago. Today’s new normal for businesses includes work-from-home difficulties, many simultaneously sick workers, disrupted supply chains, cash crunches, uncertain compliance obligations, and the mechanics of applying for new government programs. But that gives us time to reflect on other important matters, Memorial Day and the value we should instil.
Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics
Now, to get things straight to start with, what most people, especially Americans, don’t realize is that most non-government close protection jobs are unarmed due to the legal restrictions on firearms in most countries. Part of your threat assessment for any assignment needs to include the laws on the use of force and what if any weapons are legal in the locations you are going to be working in. Being caught with an illegal weapon, especially a firearm will get you thrown in jail very quickly, no matter how important you think you are!
Dealing with What Goes Bump in the Night
Often when one sense is taken away, the other senses become heightened. Allow those senses to work for you as you plan your search or exit. For instance, use your sense of smell to help detect a potential threat or adversary (body odor, cologne or perfume, smoke cigarette or tobacco) or any smells uncommon to your environment. Allow your movements to be slow and methodical unless executing a rapid/dynamic entry or exit maneuver. Be conscious of noise to help you locate a threat or potential adversary.
Why Consider A Career in Executive Protection?
It requires a lot of training and specialized skills. It can be a thankless job when things go well and a firestorm when there is a breach in the protection. And if nothing dangerous is afoot, it can get somewhat boring. It’s physically taxing and mentally grueling. So why do it? Once you get past your misconceptions about the industry and learn what you are really getting into, you’ll find that it is a great career full of incentives.
Weaponising Social Media
The psychology behind the misinformation was mostly covered last time, so we’re going to look more at the mechanics that enable them. We’ll take a look at fake social media accounts, botnets, and automated amplification to exploit social media algorithms.
Trunk Guns
One of the biggest ongoing phenomena is the firearms space is the concept of a trunk gun. Whether it is a handgun, shotgun, or a rifle, firearms are simply tools. When it comes to any tool, you first must ask what is your objective?
Let’s begin by considering the history or evolution of this phenomenon. The precursor to trunk guns were probably truck guns.
![That of the person who has a degree in Psychology and has also spent many hours studying behaviours.[Fragment] I would like to combine my two educational backgrounds and discuss how specific behaviours can negatively affect the security industry.](https://circuit-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pexels-andrew-neel-2312369-750x400.jpg)
The Importance of Emotional Control in the Workplace
If you are a service provider, you must always have in mind that people you employ and place with clients are the people who represent your brand. Their mistakes will harm you more than it will harm them. Most companies are losing contracts due to the toxic or unprofessional behaviour of their operatives.
Keeping Your Edge: Listen in Totality
Someone said this quote to me a long time ago and it really resonated. It was one of those things where the more I thought about what it actually meant, the more insight I gained from just those few short words. The quote itself originated from the American poet, Maya Angeolu. And while it’s very unlikely social media was on her mind, or even a thing, when she drafted it, I think it’s very fitting on how it plays into society today.
Is Your Brain Working Against You?
Our brain is constantly processing information. From making our coffee in the morning to dreaming while we sleep, our neurons are always working to figure out what to do with the information they’re receiving. Every scenario is carefully calculated within our brains which then tells us how to respond to certain stimuli. In the field of Close Protection, it’s crucial that we train our brains to respond to stimuli in a quick and calculated way so that we are able to execute our responsibilities and keep people safe.
Does Everyone on Your Team Speak the Same Language?
It’s an anomaly then that so little importance seems to be attached to ‘comms’ both during planning and training. Having a competent ‘signaller’ on the team, who is well-trained and well-versed in multiple forms of communication has to be an advantage, right? Think back to the military example I gave earlier, the signaller clearly forms a vital part in any unit, whether on the frontline or back in the Ops Room. But most security-related courses only pay lip-service to the importance of communications, if it is ever mentioned at all.
The One Percent
Cybersecurity provider NTT Security reports that five countries are the most common sources to 50 percent of global cyberattacks (Figure 2). Akamai states that two-thirds of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyberattacks originate in ten countries. Symantec, another provider, adds 13 more countries for a total of 23 countries, which are homes to the worst cyber offenders and who are responsible for two-thirds of all malicious internet activity.
Staying Grey
The truth is there aren’t many conventional radios that are commercially available, that are easy to conceal whilst still giving you the coverage and functionality you need to do the job. And with all conventional two-way radio, you still face the challenges of coverage and range, not to mention licensing and the issues of using the devices outside of UK jurisdiction.
Pistol Shooting
It amazes how many people attend supposed tactical firearms training classes and come away having never been shown or understand the importance of shooting one handed.
Yes, shooting a pistol with a two-handed grip is for most people more accurate and is better for competition shooting or passing range qualifications. But, in the real-world when your reactions need to be quick and you need to respond to attacks in all environments you may not have the space or time to get into your range perfect position.
Social Media Engineering
Take just one example the conspiracy theories around 5G were quickly re-tailored to incorporate Bill Gates and George Soros as targets, and were effective enough that there were arson attacks against 5G infrastructure. In other words, a few memes and videos, along with the use of these techniques (whether deliberate, or accidental, but there is strong evidence of deliberate action) were enough to cause homegrown domestic terrorism attacks on UK soil.
Selecting Firearms for Close Protection Details
I recently had some gun store commando in Europe trying to push the benefits of the 12 gauge Saiga shotguns on me over say a regular AK-47… Something to do with the kinetic energy of a 12 gauge slug at 100 meters… Saiga shotguns are very nice guns but I take it they were all this guy had used or could sell due to the restrictions on semi-auto rifles in his country. Some unwitting buyer could easily take this gun shop owner and firearms experts advice and end up buying firearms for use in hostile environments that were not suitable, overpriced and the ability of being able to buy effective ammunition, spare magazines and parts locally would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Preparedness & Perseverance
. To prepare is to, make (something) ready for use or consideration, to persevere, is to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. Among the many skill sets we must attain, practice, and master over time, preparedness and perseverance are two less talked about traits of a solid EP practitioner. There are many reasons why the focus on these skills are over shadowed by wrist locks, positioning, being the body man, fancy martial arts, and firearms. What’s a significant reason you ask? Well, in my opinion it’s because there is no immediate gratification, or “look at me” moment(s). There are plenty of instances where all of the before mentioned skills are useful, however, how and when they can be used start with being prepared.
The Great Divide – Keeping Your Edge
In many cases this occurs with such frequency that it not only paints a part of the picture of the individual, it becomes the entire painting. In fairness or not, the act of retransmitting news media can be interpreted as an endorsement of the totality of the views. Adding an additional layer, readers/viewers are allowed to engage and interact with the news in ways that far surpass the past. Gone are the days where you could agree or disagree with a newsperson and have to mail a letter into the editor in the hopes that it would be read, and in extremely small cases, reprinted.
