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A Look Back to Three Days In May.
Executive Protection Training in Ukraine
In May 2023, while volunteering in Ukraine, I was contacted by a friend who passed along a request to visit with the Ukrainian Court Security Services to speak about the protection of judges.
I had already conducted three executive protection courses and some urban combat training for Ukrainian security services and law enforcement, but this was a visit to their headquarters for a formal meeting with their director and key members of his staff, and a sharing of ideas. Little did I realize just how rewarding these next three days would be working with the officers of the Court Security Service.
The request was simple: observe their officers in a series of drills and exercises and provide feedback. Make some recommendations, and just like that, I would be back at my day job. Instead, the officers and I ran those exercises together and learned from each other. Their techniques, my techniques, shared procedures, and tactics became intermeshed. As the scenarios got more difficult and complex, they became easier.
The philosophy of protection remains the same regardless of the threat, situation, or protectee. Only the risk mitigation procedures changed, so when we went beyond language barriers and talked about daily procedures, I felt as though I had previously served alongside these officers.
These were experienced professionals in the field, on the range, or in the dojo. But they were also willing and avid learners who absorbed everything we talked about and everything we trained on.
Given the everyday threat level to their protectees from the Russians, organized crime, and just everyday threats in a war zone, you would think they would be burned out and a bit paranoid. And to highlight this just a bit, during one training event, there was an air raid, and that evening, the Russians posted on social media my location, what I was doing, and for whom. So now, OPSEC was an issue for them as well.
Of course, this training was conducted against the backdrop of the war with invading Russian forces. So, the local law enforcement teams also requested urban warfare training in infantry and reconnaissance tactics. This training was necessary so they could fight to hold a government building, campus, or the city if needed.
I was reminded today of these events when someone from the public safety sector in Rivne Ukraine visited my LinkedIn profile. A former student, a police chief, or an agency staff member perhaps.
But regardless, I can still say with absolute certainty I learned as much as I shared, and I am indebted to the director of the CSS for his confidence in my experience and professionalism enough to seek me out.
Today I still conduct team and detail readiness assessments as well as executive protection training for law enforcement and other security services in the United States. But I will never forget the Ukrainian Court Security Services and three days in May.
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https://www.facebook.com/share/p/197XbrzT9D/
https://sso.court.gov.ua/sso/pres-centr/news/1423751
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H6Tw5RhtP/
