Training for a New Breed of Corporate Executive Protection (EP) Agents

Do not refer to them as bodyguards and do not expect them to look like refrigerators.

They fit into a tailored suit just as well as combat attire, and they are as at-ease with handling laptops, PDAs, GPS units, latest generation cell-phones and other high-tech gadgetry as they are handling firearms and conducting hand-to-hand combat. Many of them have acquired and honed their skills in elite combat outfits all around the world. Quite a few have had their share of action, and now they are ready to capitalize on this know-how by offering their services to the corporate world and those who run it.

Offering these skills may sound pretty straightforward and sensible in view of the threats the corporate world is facing in reaction to both globalization (a great opportunity for some, yet conceived to be a menace by others) and the recent trend of franchise terrorism—which targets the Western economy and strategic industries (banking, energy, transportation, shipping, communication, etc.).

Yet it is not that simple to make the transition from military or intelligence services, where security is part of the core business, to the corporate environment, in which security is considered a mere expenditure and, in some places, even a liability. When suits replace battle attire, the rules of engagement change and seasoned fighters discover once again that "it’s a jungle out there."

To help these capable combatants make the transition into the corporate world, some well established bodyguard schools are offering bodyguard training of a new kind—tactical training blended with a commercial service orientation and corporate behavior codes.

Personal protection is a profession that has to be learned, and though a military or intelligence background helps a great deal, it is not enough.

In order to make it in the complex world of corporate business, the revamped security training includes topics that are not necessarily integrated into traditional training programs, such as:

· Understanding the business environment and its rules.

· International business travel - how to prepare for it to best support business activity while minimizing exposure to threats

· Internet and communications – effective use and avoiding hazards that come along with it (e.g., information leakage).

· Etiquette and protocol –understanding foreign mindsets, behaviors, customs and body language (as corporate reach stretches into new territories).

· How to choose a foreign liaison.

· One of most important lessons – where and what not to secure, since the inexcusable sins in the business world are:

1. unnecessary expenditures

2. time wasters

3. business process delays due to security bottle-necks

· Threat assessments – the ongoing process of analyzing and weighing risks and countermeasures in order to make the right decision at any moment according to set priorities.

The above-mentioned items are not a substitute for the proven syllabus of traditional executive protection training. Topics such as: driving, shooting, hand-to-hand combat, teamwork, intelligence gathering and processing, advance-party surveys, etc., are still as relevant as ever. But, in addition, in order to survive “in the jungle out there,” one has to know the rules.