Executive Protection Training Day 3-4

Executive Protection Training
Advance Work (Mission Planning and Operations) & MGT 204: Off-site and Off-the-Record Operations

Looking back

 For any agent, one of our biggest challenges is keeping the bubble of protection around the protectee while traveling away from a secure location like the home or office.  Our protectee may be attending a meeting, a social engagement or just going to the gym. This is why executive protection training includes advance work and planning operations. 

 So if so critical why do we wait until day three and four of training? Well, you can’t do an advance without the threat assessment which was on day two of training and you need to have the right agents with the proper experience and training which we discussed on day one. #executiveprotectiontraining

Days three and four

 On days three and four students are immersed in mission planning and will use all the material from days one and two. Students will learn about advance work, OTRs, site surveys, and how mission planning is done using the threat assessment, the day’s itinerary, and the resources available. Detail staffing is discussed and we stress the importance of interpersonal communication and team building from the operational planning perspective. “Don’t make an enemy of someone you need to be successful;”    

The Class:

EPO 400: Advance Work (Mission Planning and Operations) & MGT 204: Off-site and Off-the-Record Operations (See below)

 These executive protection training classes taught concurrently cover the mandated material or topics required by the US Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Protective Service Operations Training Program; Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice 32E Personal Protection Specialist, and the North Carolina requirements for the close personal protection license.

Description:  These classes will demonstrate how performing “advance work” and site security surveys are needed to plan, establish, and maintain the environment of protection around the protectee while away from the secure location of the home or an office. 

 Conditions: In the classroom and the field, students will utilize critical thinking and analytical skills to conduct an advance, taking part in an advance and site survey operations exercise as a member of an advance team.  On completion of the exercise, students will recommend security measures based on the threat assessment, and prepare and conduct the team and operational briefing.

Executive Protection Training: How we teach this material:

 We will discuss the purpose, roles, and responsibilities of the advance team, and how site survey teams prepare the mission plan for each location to be visited. Students will be assigned positions and responsibilities within the advance mission, and after the roles of the advance team members are discussed and assigned to the students, they will conduct an exercise/assignment in the field conducting an advance and site survey of a given location.

The Advance Process:  Part one in the classroom

Students will;

• Students are given a notional protectee/client and must complete an initial threat assessment, establish the personal protective detail based on the threat, and select the team. (Day 1 & 2)
  **What are the threat factors, mitigation measures and static security measures**     

• Students will receive and evaluate an itinerary, who is going, timeline, how long are we there, what are we doing, resources needed, etc. “Are we going to a ball game or a mass protest? A speech in a room full of fans or a public address to those who may disagree with the protectees message”.
• We will discuss the (OTR) off the record mission and the threat from social media, improper levels of site security or planning, and the perceived advantages of a OTR mission.
   
• Students will conduct an off-site survey demonstrating how to do research and gather open-source information, images, floor plans, etc. Before even visiting the location agents should already be coordinating with outside agencies, host security, and event planners.
• Students will use the threat assessment intelligence process to review and evaluate the location, and or event and identify possible threats to the client, event, or location. Agents will then discuss the known threats, the demographics & atmospherics, the history of the location or event, others who may be present, and the purpose of the visit.
• Agents form an initial plan and select the correct type of site survey techniques, understanding not every event requires a full site survey team on location and the establishment of a full 360* protective plan. The site survey team is deployed and the drivers or movement team begins travel arrangements. 

• The initial plan assembled from the off-site research and threat assessment may include but is not limited to; 
  Movement to the location with arrival and staging procedures, an initial communication, medical, evacuation, and site security plan.

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The Advance Process: Part Two 

Training Objective: Students will demonstrate the importance and difference between proactive and reactive security measures and integrate both into their advance planning and operations based on the threat assessment.

 Students will demonstrate how to conduct a “red cell” exercise including (Hostile Surveillance and counter-measures) (Attack planning) and evaluate protective measures from an attacker’s point of view.

Students will demonstrate how to prepare and conduct the team and operational briefing.

Students will;

• Armed with their initial plan students will complete an instructor-led site survey where the students recommend security measures to counter actual or perceived threats and incorporate information gathered from their physical inspections, event planners, host security, and others involved in the location or event into the mission plan.
• Students will plan the movement to the location, arrival and staging procedures, prepare event security plan & access control security posture/ FPCON; arrival and departure plan; RON & on-site considerations; event & interior movement plan; emergency planning; green room, hard room, restrooms, communication, medical, interior post selection & evacuation plan; Interior movement and security plan.
• Students will complete a full advance report and site survey, prepare a written and verbal presentation as part of a mission brief to be given later in the course.

Evaluation:

• Students will be evaluated on their operations plan based on the advance, site survey, and threat assessment. Their operations plan which includes but is not limited to;
• The movement plan
• The arrival, departure, and staging plan
• The event security plan & access control security posture/ FPCON
• RON & on-site considerations such as event & interior movement plan; emergency planning; green room, hard room, restrooms, communication, medical, interior post selection & evacuation plan.
• OTR Factors and considerations

** Note ** Adding to the challenge of this class students will discuss international travel considerations, restricted access locations such as government buildings, airports, etc.

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Part Three (Concurrent Training);

MGT 204: Off-site and Off-the-Record Operations

Description:  This class introduces the students to the operational planning necessary for a principle to conduct business or attend an event at a location not previously known or cleared and for those visits or events considered “off-the-record” or “spur of the moment.”  Students will discuss the types of advance work and site surveys, logistics, and security measures required for these types of missions.    

 These types of operations, because of the dangers associated with the speed of social media, traveling and movement, the client’s time in and around vehicles, and the possibility of the client’s location being compromised, are considered the most dangerous.

 Learning outcome: At the end of this class a student will understand the critical need for basic information or intelligence, updated threat assessments, and hasty advance and site survey operations, as well as the logistical and security challenges of OTR client movement and operations planning.  A student will understand the threat of social media to security operations and how to prepare an operational plan for an off-the-record event.

The learning objectives that students will demonstrate upon completion of this class are as follows:

·         Understand how to move a hasty or covert “bubble of protection”

·         Understand the critical need for an OTR advance and site survey

·         Understand OTR movement planning

·         Understand OTR mission planning, hasty briefings, and hasty rehearsal procedures

·         Understand the threat of social media

Terminal Learning Objective – Discuss the mission planning process and critical information and intelligence required to be successful:

– The protectee biography

– A protectee’s itinerary

– Using open-source (OSINT) intelligence and information

The updated threat assessment

·         Initial
·         Location
·         Event
·         Demographic

Terminal Learning Objective – Discuss the need for an advance and the importance of site survey procedures and how they factor into the mission plan. Understand what is required to move the “bubble of protection” around the client to an unsecured location:

– What is the “bubble of protection”?

– Define an “advance”

– Define a “site survey”

– Define a “hasty advance”

– Discuss how the advance and site survey process works

Terminal Learning Objective – Discuss the ever-emerging threat of social media to the safety and security of the client and the detail; understand the OPSEC issues associated with “off the record” operations and social media:

How has social media affected OTR’s

Case study security compromised by social media

Operational planning for the OTR

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Part Four; (Concurrent Training II);

 During the advance process, one critical planning task is the movement plan, agents need to answer a few questions like how do we get the protectee to the event or location safely? How do we get him/her from the car to a secure location? Once we are on the ground what security measures are needed to mitigate the threat?

So to answer these questions as part of the advance class students also take a specific class on those topics.

MGT 306: Daily Operations, Secure Transportation & Movement Operations

Terminal Learning Objective – Discuss the elements of transportation security and the procedures, techniques, methods, and technologies used for detecting or mitigating potential threats while moving the client/protectee by vehicle, motorcade, or aircraft:

– Discuss and select the proper method of travel based on the threat and other factors

– Discuss and demonstrate the proper method to select, and establish safety/control points on the
   primary, secondary, and tertiary routes

– Discuss and demonstrate how to conduct a reconnaissance of a route

Terminal Learning Objective – Identify the principles, techniques, and standards of arrival and departure procedures, and why each is important:

– Discuss the various methods of transportation and the required/recommended facilities/resources on site

– Discuss how to select arrival and departure locations

– Discuss how to select the staging area.

– Discuss how to select defensive tactics/protective controls.

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In closing;

So over two days and 16 hours students cover three classes, This includes over 8 hours in the field and additional advance work on day 5, 6 and 7.

EPO 400: Advance Work (Mission Planning and Operations) (Cover course)

MGT 204: Off-site and Off-the-Record Operations (Concurrent)

MGT 306: Daily Operations, Secure Transportation & Movement Operations (Concurrent)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Route selection                                            Arrival & Departure Procedures                                               Mission Planning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drive the route (Recon)                           Staging and Site Security Planning                  Parking, Staging, Motorcade Security 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use of drones for site security                                      Motorcade route security                                      Physical security measures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survey teams assess physical security                           Interior movement planning                                          Entry and exit planning

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event security planning                                                           Hard rooms                                            Green room and welcome procedures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First aid and medical planning                                     Evacuation planning                                               Emergency planning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exterior assessments, security planning, enter, exit, communications, vehicle parking & staging

Off the record moves

No site survey

No notice advance

Speed is your friend

Social media isn’t your friend

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

   Mission briefing                                                                    Team briefing