Executive protection: specific objectives
Protecting people from both harm and embarrassment, each with their own unique threat landscapes, is precisely what an executive protection specialist must aim to achieve.
There is no standard, off-the-shelf solution for executive protection. Balancing protective efforts, best practices and threat environments with client preferences, lifestyle choices and familial inclinations is the specialist’s main challenge. When this is done, a truly tailored approach for an appropriately resourced protective program can be executed.
The ultimate goal in executive protection is to provide a safe operating environment for the individual and his close ones to be able to conduct their business and live their lives, while minimizing risk and protecting them from those who wish to inflict harm—anywhere in the world.
The comprehensive understanding of threat/targeting vectors is paramount to safeguard clients from threats of physical violence and reputational harm. This requires a careful balance of hard and soft skills, timely and accurate threat information and relies heavily on the trust and confidence forged between protectors and clients through open communication and information sharing.
Executive protection can take many forms and be delivered in a variety of ways. Tailoring protective services to the specific needs of clients must be the goal of the service provider. Whether that entails low visibility operators, high-profile motorcade support, protective surveillance, discreet over-watch, or any combination of the mentioned, the provider must be ready to deliver.
International travel raises a complex series of administrative, logistical and safety concerns. Executive protection specialists must have proven experience in international operations. They must possess the ability to correctly evaluate threats at the locations where their trips will take them. Executive protection agents who want to excel at an international level must be culturally savvy in the environments they operate in, possess local/indigenous language skills, be familiar with local traffic/driving patterns and maintain an intimate understanding of their acute threat environments to be capable to best formulate a tailored protection plan and create a safe environment for clients to achieve their goals.