Issue 64 - Observational Skills by Circuit Magazine

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Reviews

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Intel

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Exclusives

64 IMPROVING YOUR

OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS WHO

WATCHES

THE

WATCHERS?

EVERYONE

FIGHTING IN AND AROUND

VEHICLES

PISTOL SHOOTING AT 100M

BEHAVIOUS & REPUTATION

COMPANY CULTURE 1

contents ISSUE 64 04

UK FOREWORD

US FOREWORD

INDUSTRY NEWS

CASE STUDY TRAGIC LESSONS LEARNED IN FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES

CYBER SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS CLOSE PROTECTION IN VIRTUAL WORLDS

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPANY CULTURE

THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVATION SKILLS FOR EXECUTIVE PROTECTION AGENTS

BEHAVIOR AND REPUTATION THE KEYS TO UNLOCKING A LONG & SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN PROTECTION

TACTICAL MEDICINE BEYOND TOURNIQUETS

FOUR REASONS WHY CLIENTS PREFER FEMALE EXECUTIVE PROTECTION OFFICERS

IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSED MEDICAL TRAINING

SURGE IN PHYSICAL SECURITY THREATS LINKED TO HYBRID WORKING

WHAT A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN WOULD LOOK LIKE

ASK THE NABA NETWORK

GLOBAL SITUATION REPORT

CLOSE PROTECTION FIREARMS PISTOL SHOOTING AT 100 METERS PLUS

104

THE UNSEEN OBVIOUS TELL

110

INDUSTRY EVENTS

112

KEEPING YOUR EDGE THE ILLUSION

119

CLASSIFIEDS

16 104

EDITOR FOREWORDS

UK FOREWORD Another year is ending, and we are wrapping it up with another fantastic issue of the Circuit Magazine!

Traditionally for many, the end of a year can be a time of reflection. Looking back on 2022, what has changed for you? Have you fulfilled the things you have set out to achieve? If not, why not? Can you make these goals happen in 2023?

or going into self-destruct is no good for anybody; work the problem, take some time and come back with a clear head and fresh eyes for another bite of the cherry.

For those who love networking, I recommend signing up for the Eighth Annual Executive Security and CP Technology Conference & Exhibition on Sometimes you may not achieve all that the 26th of January in London. The Circuit you set out to in a particular calendar team will be in attendance, and it would year, don't beat yourself up and let this get be fantastic to see you there in what will you down. It may not be through a lack be a great event to kick off 2023. of trying; sometimes, life gets in the way. There may be illness, accidents, death in Speaking of 'must attend' events, it the family, new life, growing commitments was great seeing so many pictures and and obligations, emails to answer, taxes to stories from the recent 2022 IPSB Close pay, unexpected demands, etc. Protection Conference in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend this year, Life isn't a race; it's a journey. Nor is it but I'm already planning to be there in linear. It's full of twists and turns. So, move 2023. at your speed and tick off your goals when possible. Focus on what you can control In signing off this last foreword of 2022, I'd – and let go of the rest. It is easier to swim like to wish all our readers and listeners a with the current than against it. festive, safe, and happy close to the year. Use this festive period to recharge your We work in an industry where we are batteries and make 2023 your year! used to solving problems and providing solutions for others; in doing so, you can Stay safe lose sight of issues closer to home. If this is the case, pause, look inwards, Shaun West and be your own bodyguard. Burning out Editor 4

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EDITOR FOREWORDS

US FOREWORD As we wind down 2022, I’d like to welcome you to another edition of The Circuit Magazine, the #1 magazine for the modern Close Protection practitioner. This past year has been an interesting one both in terms of advancements in the industry, as well as our internal growth with The Circuit Media. In addition to the magazine you are currently scrolling through, we also offer several other multi-media resources to bring protectors from across the world together, and keep them informed. Are you more of an audio person? Look no further than The Circuit Podcast, where we invite some of the brightest minds in the profession to share their stories. Maybe video is more your cup of tea? In that case we have the EPHQ LIVE discussion, hosted by yours truly, along with industry heavyweights, Mark ‘SIX’ James, and Kevin Ghee. Some of you might be asking, ‘where can I find this discussion?‘ and that’s where we get to the good part — The Circuit is a collaborative effort brought to you by the North American Bodyguard Association &

The British Bodyguard Association, and both orgs have Apps! So it’s inside the NABA’s Protector App, where you can get not only the LIVE program, but conversations that range from the best way to conduct a Hasty Advance, to which shoes are Protector’s favoring for comfort and durability. If you aren’t yet a member, you can try out NABA Protector and BBA-Connect on either the Apple or Android platforms. I say all of this, because everything we do is focused on creating avenues and outlets for practitioners of the craft to grow. One way you can help is to assist us in getting the word out. If you enjoy The Circuit and related media, leave a review, share a post, and please tell your colleagues about us. So while 2022 might be a wrap, the future is bright for the business of safeguarding others. Elijah Shaw Editor 7

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

Industry News At A Glance

We cast our eye over the main stories impacting the security industry. Here's what's appeared on the radar since the last issue.

Trump Settles With Protesters Who Said His Bodyguards Attacked Them Donald J. Trump on Wednesday reached a settlement in a civil case brought by protesters who said they were attacked by his bodyguards in 2015 In September 2015, in the early months of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign for the presidency, the protesters staged a demonstration outside Trump Tower during which they said the candidate’s bodyguards violently attacked them. They said Mr. Trump himself was responsible, because he had explicitly authorized the bodyguards to use force. They also sued his company, the Trump Organization, and several guards. A lawyer for the protesters, Benjamin N. Dictor, said, “The sidewalk belongs to the people, it doesn’t matter whose name is on the building. We think that today’s resolution confirms that.”

They said in their lawsuit that Mr. Trump’s longtime personal bodyguard, Keith Schiller, had taken one of their signs, ripped it to pieces, and then struck one of the protesters on the head. They said there had been other attacks from other, unnamed bodyguards. Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that Mr. Schiller had been doing his job and that it was he who had been attacked by the protesters. Excerpts of Mr. Trump’s questioning under oath were made public in April. Asked about Mr. Schiller’s behavior on the day of the protest, Mr. Trump insisted that the bodyguard had done nothing wrong. “He went out — I didn’t know about it. But he went out, he heard there was a disturbance and he went out. And he took a 50-cent sign down that was racist,” he said. Source >

INDUSTRY NEWS Haitian politician & Bodyguard killed in apparent gang attack Eric Jean Baptiste, lottery business magnate, and a bodyguard were killed in Laboule 12, a leafy hillside area in Port-au-Prince, after attackers opened fire on their vehicle, officials said. Jean Baptiste, 52, headed the center-left Assembly of Progressive National Democrats Party and once sought Haiti’s presidency. Ricardo Nordain, a party official, said Jean Baptiste’s armored vehicle flipped over when it was ambushed.

but their power has grown in recent years amid a broader deterioration of democratic institutions and security conditions. United Nations agencies said this month that gang violence in the capital has displaced some 96,000 people and that gangs have used rape to terrorize the local population.

“He represented a lot,” Nordain said. “His assassination shows we do not have leadership in this country.”

Roberson Alphonse, a well-known Haitian journalist with the newspaper Le Nouvelliste, was attacked in his car this week by armed assailants. He is recovering. In one of his last tweets, Jean Baptiste mentioned the attempt on Alphonse’s life. “The life expectancy of people in Haiti is 24 hours,” he said. “Who will be next? Will he have the same luck?”

Gangs have long had a presence in Haiti,

Source >

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

US Supreme Court rejects appeal in case against Turkish president’s bodyguards

nine others were injured and taken to a hospital after the DC police unsuccessfully tried to separate the groups.

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal to dismiss lawsuits against two of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security staff who allegedly assaulted protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington DC in 2017.

After the brawl between the Turkish President’s security and the proKurdish protesters drew international condemnation, DC officials issued warrants on assault charges.

Turkey applied to lower courts requesting the cases be dismissed, citing immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. But the lower courts ruled that the the events in 2017 were not covered by the act, and that the lawsuits would go ahead under the Supreme Court’s ruling. During Erdoğan’s visit to the United States in May 2017, a brawl broke out between Erdoğan’s supporters and -the mostly Kurdish- protesters. Two people were arrested for assault, while

Erdoğan responded to the charges by saying that the demonstrators were associated with terrorist organisations. “What kind of law is this?” he asked, “If my security guards cannot to protect me why would I bring them with me to America?” The New York Times analysed the video of the incident and spotted that after the security chief leaned into the Turkish president’s car, he spoke into his earpiece, and three guards ran toward the Kurdish protestors. Source >

INDUSTRY NEWS Prince Andrew will KEEP his police bodyguards following review of his security detail in wake of Jeffrey Epstein scandal A federal investigation has determined that Professional Security Consultants Inc. – a Los Angeles-based security company that provides officers for shopping malls, schools, hotels, hospitals, office buildings and gated communities – repeatedly exposed its employees at the Boise Towne Square mall to workplace violence hazards and failed to follow its own procedures for interacting with armed individuals to enforce the mall’s code of conduct.

following the fatal shooting of an unarmed security officer on Oct. 25, 2021. OSHA cited the company for not instituting controls to protect security workers from hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. the agency proposed penalties totaling $14,502.

Who’s protecting Who’s protecting Who’s protecting YOU, while you YOU, while you YOU, while you protect others? protect others? protect others?

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection

“Professional Security Consultants’ policies and procedures did not effectively address the risk of gun violence, a recognized hazard in the security services industry,” said OSHA Area Director David Kearns in Boise. “Every worker has the right to a safe and healthful workplace. This employer must provide enhanced safeguards and training to ensure workers have the knowledge and tools to better protect themselves against assault.”

Source >

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 EP Agent for Atlanta mayor indicted in deadly 2019 carjacking shooting An Atlanta police officer who was assigned to former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’s Executive Protection Unit has been indicted and suspended without pay for shooting an alleged carjacking suspect at a gas station in January 2019. Officer Oliver Simmonds was indicted Friday on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of violation of oath of public office.

Simmonds, who was off-duty and in plain clothes, pumping gas at a Shell station when 18-year-old D’Ettrick Griffin "allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of Simmonds’ unmarked SUV." The DA’s office said Simmonds shot Griffin as he tried to steal the city-issued SUV. The GBI said Griffin was able to drive off with the officer’s vehicles but crashed into two other cars a short distance away. There was no indication Griffin had a weapon, the GBI said. Source >

INDUSTRY NEWS

How did Russian woman whose family had links to the Kremlin get a role in an British security body? A Russian woman whose family had links to the Kremlin was made a director of the Security Institute, which has close ties to Westminster. Anastasia Spiridonova, 23, who speaks six languages and is described by several colleagues as ‘exceptionally charming’, is connected to the Putin regime through members of her family. Her grandfather was an MP in Putin’s United Russia party, while her mother Marina worked at the Kremlin in a department running resort hotels and presidential retreats around Russia.

Meanwhile, Ms Spiridonova’s father, Grigory Bryukhov, was once president of Intourist, the privatised successor of the giant Soviet travel agency that was notoriously riddled with KGB spies. After spending her early years in Moscow, Ms Spiridonova moved to the UK. She was educated at £40,000-a-year Sevenoaks School in Kent and studied modern languages at Stanford University in the US. She eventually got a job with a detective firm and then joined the Security Institute, but she eventually agreed to step down in June after less than two months. Source >

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

Meta Fires Security Guards for Hijacking User Accounts Meta Platforms Inc. has fired or disciplined more than two dozen employees and contractors over the last year whom it accused of improperly taking over user accounts, in some cases allegedly for bribes, according to people familiar with the matter and documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Some of those fired were contractors who worked as security guards stationed at Meta facilities and were given access to the Facebook parent’s internal mechanism for employees to help users having trouble with their accounts, according to the documents and people familiar with the matter. As part of the alleged abuse of the system, Meta says that in some cases workers accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from outside hackers to access user accounts, the people and documents say. A spokeswoman for Meta’s security contractor, Allied Universal, said it “takes seriously all reports of violations of our standards of conduct.” When people are locked out of their accounts, they typically try automated methods for resetting them or try to reach someone at Meta by phone or email,

which many users have reported is often fruitless. Some of those people are able to get Meta employees and contractors to fill out a form through the Oops (Online Operations) channel as a method of last resort. But in part because the Oops system is off limits to the vast majority of Facebook users, a cottage industry of intermediaries has developed who charge users money to regain control of their accounts. In interviews with the Journal, some of those third parties claim to have access to Meta employees to help reset accounts. “When you take someone’s Instagram account down that they’ve spent years building up, you’re taking away their whole means of generating an income,” says Nick McCandless, whose company McCandless Group operates a platform for content creators. Mr. McCandless says he charges his clients to reset accounts, sometimes through a contact he declined to name at Meta. “You really have to have someone on the inside who will actually do it,” he said. Lately, Allied has cracked down on its employees’ use of internal systems, warning in a recent internal message viewed by the Journal “DO NOT use the Meta OOPS platform.”

Source >

TIKTOK LESSONS FOR SECURITY PROFESSIONALS WORLDVIEW

Imagine your thirteen-year-old girl sets up a TikTok account and posts harmless videos of herself having fun dancing and lip-syncing to her favourite tunes. Her popularity skyrockets on the social media platform as more users subscribe to view her latest videos. She is also active on other online social media platforms where she makes no effort to hide the fact that she is the girl with that TikTok account. Her followers, well… follow her to other social media sites and play online games with her. They chat with her and, being the personable and chatty girl she is, she says hi back to them all. Most are happy just to connect once and have a brief chat. However, it feels uneasy when your daughter mentions that one of her fans, an eighteenyear-old male with the username EricJustin111, seems to be present wherever she is online and always

Powered Stratfor tries to by communicate with her.

Now, imagine the peace of your safe and sleepy neighbourhood in Florida being shattered when Eric Justin strides up to the front door of your home and shreds it with a blast from his shotgun after having tracked down your daughter to your residence! That is exactly what happened to Ava Majury, a teenager who has lived to tell the tale, seemingly thanks to pure chance. Justin’s shotgun jammed mid-rampage, and Majury’s father, a retired police officer, was able to get to his handgun and incapacitate the intruder. Threats Are Everywhere Justin had gathered personal information on Majury by connecting with her classmates who sold him photos and information. He even did a child’s

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

Case Study By Neil M Davis

Tragic Lessons Learned in Fighting In & Around Vehicles This case study covers the harrowing events that took place in March 1988 when two British corporals were ambushed by a mob while in their vehicles and beaten and brutally killed by the IRA in Northern Ireland. 16

FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES The tragic and infamous incident that lead to the soldiers’ deaths at the hands of an enraged mob become known as the “corporal killings.” If you haven’t heard of the incident I am talking about, then brace yourself for what you will read. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Corporals_killings TRAINING IN WAYS THAT MATTER Despite the horrific nature of the events, the purpose of this article is to debunk the view of the "...you must do this...you must never do that...just avoid the area..." flagpole that so many training providers pin their colors to. This article will try and explain why that kind of advice might not always work in order to encourage people to get their head out their ass and start delivering training that addresses real-life incidents and not some version of what they "think" happens in these situations. And even more recently to this incident, there has been an influx of posts and articles questioning the need for or the application of, fighting in, around or from vehicles. Some have been well written and constructive - most have been written with an elementary Sesame Street approach to that situation with absolutely no concept of the

realities of such an incident. One person even stated that this type of situation never happens - I hope he's reading this. SOME CAVEATS So, before I start dissecting this properly, it is important for me to add context to this incident: 1. They should NOT have been there. Someone fucked up. 2. They were not UKSF/Undercover soldiers. 3. They weren't trained to deal with this situation. 4. One of them had a "stove-pipe" and couldn't/didn't know how to, clear it quickly. 5. The funeral cortege were on high alert of "attack", due to two other incidents that were the catalyst for this one happening and that are important to factor in, in order to understand how quickly a situationally aware, suspicious and violent mob, can turn on you: • 06 March 1988 - OP FLAVIOUS (UKSF kill three PIRA terrorists in Gibraltar) • 16 Mar 1988 - A UDA terrorist attacked the funeral of the three PIRA terrorists killed in Gibraltar, during OP FLAVIOUS. 17

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 However tragic and avoidable, the fact remains that they "were" there, and, from a training perspective ONLY, there is little to be gained from lamenting about that cock-up or whose cock-up it was. Whether they should've been there or not, doesn't alter the fact that sometimes, shit just happens - it's either your fault, someone else's fault or it's just bad luck. However, regardless of this, you still need to have "options" of response who or what's to blame can be discussed/argued/dissected later - getting out of the shit that you've found yourself in, is what matters. DISSECTING THE DEADLY SCENARIO FOR LESSONS So, let’s assess the available options: Driving Through They physically couldn't - so that's that idea is pretty useless. Reverse Out They tried unsuccessfully and were

immediately blocked in by other vehicles. (Having had so many people speak to me about this incident over the years, many have opined that, had they been trained properly (in defensive driving), they might have been able to chuck in a J-turn. This MIGHT be true ,but having seen the full, unedited video of this incident, I doubt they would have gotten very far, even with a successful J-turn. So... you can't drive through, and you can't reverse out - now what? According to some people, if neither of those options work, then you've somehow done something wrong - who cares? You still need to get out of it. One of the most staggering, surprising and influential aspects of this incident, was how quickly the crowd surrounded their vehicle - forget about having that Condor cigar moment, where you have the luxury of making a decision time is NOT your friend and any

FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES

So... you can't drive through, and you can't reverse out now what? According to some people, if neither of those options work, then you've somehow done something wrong - who cares? You still need to get out of it.

decision you do make, needs to be executed with instantaneous and scorched earth commitment. It doesn't have to be pretty; gunfights are messy and training must reflect that messiness. MINDSET OVER METHODS & MANUALS… ALWAYS! The most difficult thing to train-in/ overcome (in my experience) is mindset. How do you train-in the correct mindset for dealing with what must've been going through the minds of Howes and Woods, inside that vehicle? How do you train-out/overcome being frozen with fear? How do you train-out/ overcome the ever-present, conscience-on-your-shouldersecond-guessing-voices-in-yourhead of your decision-making process, under a situation like this? Frantically thinking about what to do - being caught in the terrifying surrealness of a situation that has just escalated to cataclysmic proportions, in the space of a few seconds. Not quite believing that it's actually happening to you. My answer to that, from an instructional point of view, is, I have no fucking idea - I can only reference my own experiences and then use those experiences to form training content, in the hope that it'll make sense to them/add context for them/hit home how crazy situations like 19

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

this are. So, that they MIGHT be better prepared to deal with them, should they find themselves in one of those "...how the fuck did THIS happen..?" situations. You should NOT be building training content from a manual, YouTube video or what YOU think would work, based on your best mate's cousin's sister's boyfriend, who was "in the military" for 6 years, but doesn't wanna talk about...coz...you know...it's secret and...well...people are watching him - you know the kind, I'm sure. If a crowd has surrounded your vehicle and you cannot drive through/reverse out - what then? The time it took for this crowd to pull the guys from their vehicle 20

was seconds - just seconds. There are no good options here – NONE. And it is mindset that is going to help give you the strength to make the most life changing and difficult decision you will probably ever make. Nothing short of a "... fuck everyone…" approach and not giving a second thought to the consequences of what you're about to do will work. The current plethora of scientific algorithms that are constantly thrown around about what you must and must not do are exhausting. How do you "manage space" when you have a crowd like this around your vehicle? Give me a drill. In fact, show me one drill that addresses this, and I'll show you someone who has never

FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES experienced it. There is no one "drill"... All you can plan/train for is a messy, ugly, and entirely "… in the moment…" application of a response option - a response option that you may never use again, because no two situations are ever the same. Waving your firearm around, as a de-escalation method doesn't work (not that I should need to reference this incident to prove that). If you draw it - use it and use it until (a) you are no longer able to. Or (b) until you have created sufficient time/space to bail and run (not that this would have necessarily worked for Howes and Woods either,

by virtue of the hostility of the neighborhood they were in - but it MIGHT have given them more of a chance). If a crowd has surrounded your vehicle and you cannot drive through/reverse out and you have to bail - what door(s) do you bail from? Do you bail from different doors? Or the same door or even the same side of the vehicle? I can't answer that for you because that will only be decided when something like this happens. All I'm doing here is deep-diving this incident, in order to suggest "options" of response. You have to have more options than the

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

Training for fighting in, from and around vehicles has got to be based on worst case scenario and it doesn't get much worse than this horrendous example.

scene environment is completely different to a skid-pan or airfield. And, in the event that you cannot drive through/reverse out, you still need "options.” But these options have got to be based on "something" - they cannot simply be pulled from thin air because you think they'll work.

PARTING THOUGHTS To clarify - I am a huge advocate of the drive through/reverse out option, but I don't base any of our "practical" course content on that single response option because the reality, chaos and unpredictability of a street-

Fighting in, from and around vehicles is chaotic, messy, and confusing and if I could give some examples of how easily that confusion manifests itself, it is this: At what point do you/can you, decide to go noisy/initiate the contact? Do you wait/hold off,

usual suspects preaching their unrealistic Sunday sermon of "... drive through/reverse out..."

FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES to see if the situation improves? (I held off/bottled it once and it almost ended badly for me - that was my mindset-change-wake-upcall moment.) How do you know when to bail? Who else is in your vehicle that you are responsible for? What kit/equipment, in your vehicle do you need to take with you? Who grabs it? This is a sore point with me, as too many people carry too much shit that they don't need and spread it around inside their vehicle like they're arranging their office desk. Once you bail, and you go noisy, how do you physically identify the other people in your team, in amongst a crowd of running, panicking, people?

or choreographed - it is messy and fluid. But what our training IS - is that's it's based on horrible, shitty realities of horrible shitty incidents. Our Hard Extraction Level 1 - 3 and our Personal Defense (Vehicles) courses, respectively, address these horrible, shitty realities. Rigidity of thought and the rigid application of "drills" should be avoided at all costs. Both will kill you dead.

CAVEAT - It gives me no pleasure whatsoever, to use the Howes & Woods incident of 19 March 1988, in Northern Ireland, for explanatory purposes and How do you communicate with the other members of your team, for anyone that knew them personally. I hope I do not cause when you cannot physically see upset or offense by using, what them because of other vehicles, buildings, obstacles? All that needs happened to these guys, as a means to debunk some of the to be trained in. nonsensical statements being opined surrounding this kind of Our training is by no means training and the face-palming perfect because there are no offerings being delivered by perfect options. Truth is they all some training providers in this might suck as much as the next subject. one. Our training is not pretty

Neil Davis was an undercover soldier with a British intelligence gathering organization in Northern Ireland and went on to work in a similar capacity in other parts of the world, before establishing Go Noisy, with his partner, Tsarina Youhnovska, in 2018. 23

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 By James Bore

cybersecurity fundamentals

Close Protection in Virtual Worlds Over the course of the pandemic and various lockdowns worldwide many people were forced online to interact in ways they hadn't before. Platforms like Zoom provided video chat, but for many people these very cut-down conference calls provided only a minimal substitute for genuine interaction with other other humans. As a result over the last few years the number of virtual worlds where participants can interact more realistically and with more autonomy has grown, and rapidly. One of the earliest examples that still persists today is Second Life, a 24

3D virtual world originally released in 2003 and still going strong today with its own economy, communities, and hundreds of thousands of virtual users. It would take nearly two decades before things progressed to virtual reality headsets being commonplace enough that now we have people more directly interacting, but even back in the early days of these virtual worlds (or the metaverse if you want to sign up to the latest buzzword to describe them) there

CYBERSECURITY FUNDAMENTALS

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 were signs that these virtual worlds were far from comfortable for highprofile participants. In 2006, three years after Second Life launched and shortly after the first virtual millionaires emerged (real money, from selling virtual real estate within the world) an interview withone of these high net worth individuals, Anshe Chung (the name of their avatar, with the real name Ailin Graef) was disrupted by a horde of animated flying penises for fiteen minutes. Retreating from the assault Chung and their interviewer retreated to Chung's theatre, where the assualt continued and eventually caused the server to crash. At the time this was seen as a bit of almost harmless trolling by many in communities aware of these worlds, but as more and more people enter them and spend time in them these have taken on new views. I have a side business running virtual events, and one of the things we find more and more necessary as companies start latching on to the possibilities of these platforms is the need to provide some sort of protection for high profile individuals taking part. Recently virtual close protection 26

These issues only increase when we consider true virtual reality worlds where instead of representation by an abstract avatar on a screen those taking part feel like they are directly immersed.

CYBERSECURITY FUNDAMENTALS officers were required for a large virtual event where executives were pressent, to prevent them from being mobbed in the virtual world by attendees complaining, questioning whether they were really speaking to the CEO, or otherwise intruding in personal space in a way that they would hesitate to in reality. This all takes place in a virtual world more akin to Zoom, with only 2-dimensional avatars wandering around, rather than anything more sophisticated but it's still a serious issue for those high-profile participants if they want to engage with employees or the public without facing harassment. While the threats may not be of the same severity, if their security is only considered in the physical world when they are exposed to others in virtual worlds there are still threats that will apply. Even in some virtual worlds, as odd as it may sound, where dangers of eavesdropping and intruders in private conversations can become an issue once again. These issues only increase when we consider true virtual reality worlds where instead of representation by an abstract avatar on a screen those taking part feel like they are directly

immersed. We are still some way from these being a full substitute for reality, but for those who have never experienced today's virtual reality systems even the most cartoony or unrealistic forms can be surprisingly immersive and engaging - and with that immersiveness and engagement come threats to people's safety. Plenty of research has shown that even in the less immersive, twodimensional forms many people identify very strongly with their avatar to the point of reacting to attacks or interactions with them, and this only strengthens when we are taking part in a three dimensional world from a firstperson point of view. As yet there have been no incidents in modern virtual reality to compare with the 2006 flying penis hordes, but only because this is still an emerging technology and high profile individuals have only taken limited part in it and only in carefully controlled conditions. Earlier this year, shortly after Facebook's announcement of their Meta VR platform, we had the first reports of harassment and sexual assault against a researcher. This was in a public, open chat room, and while there is an argument that of course the targeted user could have left the environment 27

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Most likely though all we will see is use of these tools increasing over the next few years and more of these issues coming to light, especially if or when this form of virtual reality becomes a place for We are still very much at the early high profile individuals to enage days of these technologies and it is with others. At this point there is possible that we will see providers going to be a need for people who bringing in controls and tools to understand the technology, the protect users (though for those cultures of these virtual worlds, and how to deescalate and deal familiar with the history of social with situations that arise within media and moderation tools on the internet, extremely unlikely). them. unlike in reality there are issues which embolden harassers and attackers behind a veneer of anonymity and safety from any physical consequences.

James Bore is an independent cybersecurity consultant, speaker, and author with over a decade of experience in the domain. He has worked to secure national mobile networks, financial institutions, start-ups, and one of the largest attractions’ companies in the world, among others. If you would like to get in touch for help with any of the above, please reach out at james@bores.com 28

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By Mark “Six” James CPO, EPS, CAS

Understanding the Importance of Company Culture

Company Culture simply defined is, how you do what you do in the workplace. It is the sum of your formal and informal systems and behaviors and values, all of which create an experience for your employees and customers.

COMPANY CULTURE Some of the critical words often associated with high performing cultures are: agile, collaborative, fast paced, flexible, inclusive and passionate. A dynamic culture happens when vision, values, behaviors, talent, and strategy come together.

optimal implementation of a product or service that meets corporate, consumer, customer, or employee expectations. 5. Resilience – the ability to absorb stress, recover critical functionality and thrive in altered circumstances.

Culture is the only thing your competitors for talent can’t replicate, and that is what makes 6. Teamwork - the ability to work it a competitive advantage collaboratively with a group of when it comes to attracting people to achieve a goal. and retaining talent. While vision is the catalyst of all great 7. Integrity – operating companies and cultures, values yourself or the organization are the cement that hold it consistently in accordance together. with a strong set of moral values while following Culture Essentials applicable ethical guidelines. 1. Alignment – all levels and players are clear about the 8. Innovation – the application of organization’s purpose and an existing concept or practice make decisions in accordance in a new way or applying new with it. technology or process to improve upon it. 2. Appreciation – recognition and enjoyment of the good 9. Psychological Safety – the qualities of someone or belief that you won’t be something. punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, 3. Trust – firm belief in the questions, concerns, or reliability, truth, ability or mistakes. strength of someone or something. Understand People Matter Be a company that excels in 4. Performance – the ability of an recognitions. Catch people doing individual or entity to deliver something right and reward that 31

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 behavior. Encourage feedback. Remember employee feedback is a gift, whether it is shared openly in person, or anonymously in a survey, post-it board, suggestion box or a note under your door. Create an environment where it is always ok to have differences of opinions, as long as we find harmonious ways to discuss our differences. Turn your leaders into cultural avatars. They must not only walk the talk, but they must also promote the talk. If your leaders or team members aren’t happy and satisfied, they can never translate that energy into external client satisfaction. The Executive Protection business is the people business. Learn to personalize your employees’ experiences, while still delivering consistency in corporate treatment and requirements. Be authentic, because as a leader, you must model your company’s values. Three of the things we value at my agency, Panther Protection Services are loyalty, discipline, and humility. We understand we must be loyal to both our clients as well as our employees because life, like business, will always come with challenges, 32

but it is our ability to support each other particularly through adversity is what separates the best of breed. When it comes to risk mitigation protocols like the Protective Advance, whether we are talking about site surveys or route planning, we realize despite having done this dance a thousand times before, we understand we must maintain the discipline to dance it each time like it is the first time. The humility to stay focused on the objective or the mission and remain emotionally neutral even in the face of a direct challenge or heightened success. As my dad always said, “act like you have been there before.” Focus on fostering continuous learning, as people and clients must continue to feel fulfilled. The needs of the business will continue to change and evolve, we also must continue to do the same whether the change is environmental, threat related, or client driven. Stimulate Camaraderie Encourage collaboration, fairness and create healthy competition to help team members grow independently and collectively. Allow team members to share

COMPANY CULTURE

Focus on fostering continuous learning, as people and clients must continue to feel fulfilled.

their relevant strengths with other team members, thereby encouraging cross functional excellence. Company cultures evolve like businesses, thereby allowing them to maintain their relevance. Great leaders understand the importance of establishing strong core values coupled with a flexible business model that is dynamic and

adaptable to change in both the marketplace and client base. While core values remain steadfast, culture and companies that survive and remain contemporary continue to make progress, and often grow though evolution. Companies with strong company cultures create a halo effect 33

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 in all interactions whether employee, client, or vendor. Company culture is contagious whether it is warm and inviting or toxic. Your people become the transmitters of the company energy whether positive or negative. Companies with good company cultures tend to have happy employees which reduces employee and client churn. Culture has a direct impact on how a company performs. Culture is a Talent Acquisition and Retention Strategy The employee/contractor experience significantly impacts your ability to attract, engage and retain talent. In a highly competitive talent market, we will always see an increase in wages and overall compensation. However, year over year, disproportionate increases in wages and overall compensation is not sustainable, as money merely becomes a commodity. Make sure both your culture and business model can sustain generational differences. Boomers (born 1946 to 1964), Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), Millennials (born 1981 to 2000), Generation Z (born 2001 to 2020), all process information differently, as well value different criteria in employee/ 34

Year over year, disproportionate increases in wages and overall compensation is not sustainable, as money merely becomes a commodity.

COMPANY CULTURE employer relationships, when it comes to driving job satisfaction. Make sure your talent strategy is structured to reflect the requirements of the respective employee demographics and cultural nuances. During the pandemic many of employees were seen as non-essential and learned to make different work/ life adjustments, which caused many to seek more balanced relationships coming out of pandemic.

company vision.

Understanding Motivation If you aren’t serving a customer, you better be serving someone who is. What are your employees trying to fix, solve or avoid? Understand your employees’ pain points, as well as you understand your customers. Employee branding and HR specialists understand the importance of borrowing a marketing principle of maximizing the customer experience and translating Millennials want purpose and a great place to work. “When they it to the internal customer, the employee. The goal is to believe their work has meaning – that it is more than just a job – create favorable and engaging they are three times more likely experiences for top talent. You can show them better to stay,” according to Michael than you can tell them. Your Bush CEO of a Great Place to tools, processes and corporate Work. Recognition helps with culture will speak for themselves engagement and performance, as well as ensures ways to affirm in employee retention and customer satisfaction. All employees or contractors are of these things are true in respected, valued and heard. the business world, and we Openly celebrate positive must remember we are in the behaviors, and budget for activities that align with the business of Executive Protection. Mark “Six” James is Founder and Executive Director of Panther Protection Services, LLC. He is an internationally published author, keynote speaker, security consultant to educational institutions and frequent contributor to print, broadcast and online media. Panther Protection Services is a full-service protection agency focusing on Risk and Crisis Mitigation, Protective Services, Self-Defense Training, and Firearm Instruction. www.pantherprotectionservices.com 35

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 By Denida Grow & Chris Grow

The importance of observation skills for Executive Protection Agents Today, we would like to analyze a very important skill for EP agents that is not being addressed or taught in EP schools but is extremely important. Presently, as we have all seen, there is a lot of talk about prevention and proactive measures but less talk or none at all, regarding what it takes to actually prevent a situation and how one can train to improve these skills. For an agent to be able to prevent a situation, he/ she will need to have sharp observation skills. Observation is part of human nature and, as a protective measure, has been practiced by our ancestors for survival, but as we are living in big cities and in a world more dependent 36

on technology, many have lost their observational skills and/or become desensitized. In his book, The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker wrote in 1997 about the importance of educating security professionals on being more observant. Later, in 2007, Joe Navarro wrote in his book that whoever doesn’t have the skills to observe properly will not be able to ‘’read’’ the person he/she has in front of him. Andreas Venetis, who had been studying the application of body language for decades,

OBSERVATION SKILLS Andrey Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, moments before his assassination

conducted his own research on how security professionals can highly benefit by applying body language techniques. He wrote regarding these techniques in his thesis,” The contribution of body language in dealing with terrorism and crime: A comparative analysis of international cases” which is also included in the National Library of Police in London. He uses many case studies and examples from which one can gain substantial knowledge.

observing is significantly different from seeing. Just because you see something or someone doesn’t mean you observe it or them. Observation is a cooperative mental blending of visual and thought processes.

The difference between seeing and observing can be crucial for a security detail. Being able to observe properly, one will be capable of identifying any early risk exposures and thus take appropriate safety measures. Having good observational Why is observation so important? skills means you know what to First, we must clarify that look for and the how, when, 37

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 and where’s to look and then interpret properly what you see according to your position and client. No matter how much visual information you have, it means nothing if you don’t know what you are seeing. If you cannot make a judgment, a prediction based on what you have just observed and how that can affect the safety (and smooth operation) of your client and your team, then your observation skills are lacking. And quite often, many newer agents forget that an important aspect to always be mindful of is what you AREN’T seeing. What is missing from the scene they are observing, perhaps certain aspects of behavior missing, lack of street or local traffic, or cultural/customary expectations that are strangely absent.Another thought is to always be mindful of the day or date. Some events or behaviors you expect will not be present on certain days, whereas others that are restricted or observed only on certain days or times will be an awkward surprise if you are not properly prepared or informed. Good observational skills can help you not only in identifying suspicious people and behaviors but also can help you in these 38

We should always be in a heads-up position and pay close attention to all that is occurring in real-time all around us.

OBSERVATION SKILLS examples:

Interpersonal Intelligence The ability to understand and interact effectively with others (public, team members, client) and, again, observation is the key component because of the need to monitor others’ behaviors.

a little screen in front of our faces. We should always be in a heads-up position and pay close attention to all that is occurring in real-time all around us. We, as humans, focus too much on facial characteristics rather than hands. If you are a security professional, hands should be the first thing you are observing. Is the person holding anything that can be used as a weapon? Is the person holding something that is unusual for the environment, or do the person’s hands look tight or tense? (Making a fist is the first sign of someone who is either under a lot of pressure and trying to maintain self-control or someone who is being ready to attack in some manner). Also, if you ask women and men to describe what they observe in someone else, women will focus on different characteristics than men. (And yes, sometimes they will give you more detailed descriptions than men!).

But how can one learn how to observe properly? We can probably agree that society has taught us to pay attention and observe others in a wrong way or even, not at all. First of all, in everyday life, we are literally encouraged to look away from life and focus on

Observing properly means that you have a full understanding of your role, your environment, your client’s security needs, the risk factors and that you can read people and their behaviors based on these. And as all these factors have the potential to change quickly,

Problem-Solving Being the problem-solver or troubleshooter everyone appreciates, starts with identifying the source of the problem in the early stages and then taking the correct action to solve it. Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgment. And the ability to think critically often relies on observation skills to accurately realize and comprehend what is happening around us.

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 (A woman suicide bomber walks past soldiers, the trigger in her right hand (Al-Mawsleya TV)

OBSERVATION SKILLS you must also be able to ‘’reset’’ your observations and reactions just as quickly. This is the primary reason that these skill sets must be repeatedly and constantly challenged and refreshed because if one requires too much time to think, the critical moment may very well occur before any proactive security measures can be implemented properly and the client/team will then be in jeopardy. In 2015 I found myself for the first time working in India, a totally different and new world for me. After my driver picked me up from the airport and we were on our way to my apartment, we stopped at a gas station. As the driver was fueling the car, I decided to get out and stretch (after all, I had been flying for many hours). I saw a young woman get off a scooter and stand next to me. What primarily made the ‘’red light’’ go off in my head was the fact she had a backpack (which looked heavy), and she had a full-face scarf. Now, what I didn’t know was that this was a very frequent image for the foggy area of Mumbai, but it wasn’t common for me, so I had to re-train my observation

skills according to my new environment. Observation, like any other skill, can be improved with practice. Start observing people and how they interact with each other. In your daily life, get in the habit of always asking the who, what, when, where and why’s as you move about, on your way to work on the transit bus/train, at the park, in a coffee shop, in an event, at a town square, etc. What stands out? Why? What DOESN’T stand out? Why not? What belongs? What is missing? The questions will certainly keep your mind busy, but they will definitely begin to sharpen your observation skills and adaptive reactions or solutions to events, people, and things that are happening all around you. Tips for improving your observation skills: 1. Know your client, your environment, and your safety risks. 2. Establish your baseline. 3. Self-observation (Are you focused on your job, or is your mind wandering?) You 41

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 drastically lose your awareness as you become increasingly self-absorbed or self-focused. Stay in the moment!

environments, cultures etc. 15. Keep notes of your observations.

4. Watch hands, watch hands, 16. Maintain critical thinking WATCH HANDS! Then body during the observation core, face, and legs. Is anyone process. carrying anything that can be used as a weapon or beginning 17. Put information and people to gesture a violent movement into categories as you notice in your client’s direction? them. 5. Less cell phone time. 6. Focus on the necessary task. 7. Focus on body language. Body language can be an amazing asset in identifying pre-attack indicators. 8. Improve your concentration. 9. Identify and block any distractions 10. Less cell phone time. 11. Pay attention to details or be aware of what might be 18. LESS CELL PHONE TIME. missing. Wait, did we mention that already? This has become 12. Observe how people the primary reason for the interact with each other and lack of observational skills try to make stories about what and continues to numb and is happening among them. desensitize people to all that is occurring around them. You 13. Less cell phone time will always have down time 14. Learn more about different later to look at your phone and 42

OBSERVATION SKILLS wander off into Cyberland. • Excessive nervousness / But it is NOT the time when shaking hands /touching the your senses need to be at their face most sensitive and when the client needs you most. • Sweating / flushed Some examples or signs of unusual behavior or activity: • Inappropriate clothing for the season/time and place circumstances and consideration • Elegant / strikingly different clothing for the surrounding location • Jacket/coat during summertime • Long sleeves that conceal the palms of their hands • Protrusions in the sleeve, the back, or the chest

• Involuntary motions • Apathy/gazing • Adjusting items under clothing Observation skills are something that you hone over time. Practicing, looking for things out of place, excessive, or even missing, will make you increasingly aware of what does and does not belong, what is normal or what is out of the ordinary. As you continue to practice these methods, you will find that very little escapes your observational skills, and in time, you will be able to quickly glance and make a lifesaving assessment when moments count.

Denida Zinxhiria Grow is the Founder and CEO of Athena Worldwide, Athena Academy and Nannyguards. She uses her personal experience as an Executive Protection Operative and Security Consultant to help others learn what it takes to master the ins and outs of the Security Industry and empower women in the security industry. Chris Growisan Executive Protection Specialist with 30 years of experience in a wide range of operational theaters. Through progressive exposure to national and international security, Chris has designed and executed successful risk and threat assessments and implemented security plans and strategies to mitigate risk and enhance security for multi-cultural clientele across many different industries. 43

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By Andy Wilson

Behavior and Reputation

The Keys to Unlocking a Long & Successful Career in Protection It is easy for people to be keen on a job for a few active days, but it takes a different type of person to remain alert and professional over a long period of time. 44

BEHAVIOR AND REPUTATION

Self-discipline is very important as well as the ability to get on and communicate with others. The last thing you need on a job are people who are always arguing, complaining, backstabbing etc. All this does is bring down the overall morale of the job and in the end the friction in the team will affect the service being supplied to the client. You will find people all the time that will creep up to the client

and their close staff trying to win brownie points. There is a big difference between doing your job and creeping up to the client. Influential and rich people are used to people coming to them for favors or money and usually have little respect for them and will lose respect for you if you do so. The main thing that people forget is that they are just another member of staff to the client. The client can sack their whole security team if they feel like 45

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 it for one person’s mistake, it happens. Your attitude should be to go to work, do your job, and go home again, stay out of the politics and petty arguments.

extremely important and your clothes should always be clean and neat. If you are dressed immaculately you will appear to exude confidence and strength and people will assume that you have the knowledge and the I said earlier jealousy is a huge ability to take care of yourself. problem in the close protection You should always dress to world, so trust no one, people the client’s requirements; for will sabotage you to take your corporate clients this usually job or get you replaced by one means in a suit, but some of their friends etc. It’s a job, the clients prefer their security to people you work with are not wear casual clothes. your friends! Suits should be of a dark color; Punctuality is another subject a conservative fine pin stripe not covered on a lot of close is preferable to a fashion suit. protection courses but is very You should always get a big important. You should always double-breasted jacket that can be at least 15 minutes early be done up and conceal what whether it is to relieve another equipment you are carrying on team member or to go out with your person, i.e. radios, phones, your client. If you are working note books/diaries, first aid kit, a static job, it is very annoying weapons, extra ammo, etc. If to be relieved late, especially if you are carrying weapons, you your relief does not have a good will usually keep your jacket reason for doing so. This can undone. A double-breasted cause friction within a team and jacket will conceal what is under lead to dismissals. If you are you jacket better than a single going to be late, for whatever breasted one. And remember reason, inform the person an oversized unbuttoned you are relieving or your client jacket is a good indication that ASAP. Being late or missing a someone is armed. shift can cause major problems for the client, team leaders and Your shirts should always be managers. clean. Try not to always wear white shirts, most people who Your appearance is an wear suits all the time wear 46

BEHAVIOR AND REPUTATION

Jealousy is a huge problem in the close protection world, so trust no one, people will sabotage you to take your job or get you replaced by one of their friends

colored shirts, dress to blend in with your environment. In hot weather, colored shirts have the advantage of not showing sweat or dirt so much as white shirts. Where possible, always keep a spare clean shirt to hand and change when possible. Your tie should be silk, it should be a darker color than your shirt, and the knot should be of medium size, but this size should match the collar. Do some research on how to dress properly if you’re not use to wearing suits or formal cloths. You don’t have to spend big money to dress properly if you know how to match and wear the cloths properly. You can spend a few thousand dollars on a suit and still look like a sack of shit if you don’t know how to dress properly. Personal presentation is a very important part of your skill set! You might need to wear a belt and braces (suspenders); belts are a necessity for carrying radios or weapons. Braces will keep your trousers up with all the equipment you've got on your belt. Black shoes will go with any color suit except brown, laced shoes are preferable to slip-ons, no 47

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 buckles, and no combat boots. Personally, I prefer laced dress boots, wingtips or Chelsea boots. Always ensure the shoes or dress boots you are wearing have a good griping sole. There seems to be a fashion habit these days of people wearing brown shoes with dark suits, well I think we are bodyguards not fashionistas, so best to keep things conservative! Socks should be dark in color and should match the suit. The only expectable jewelry is wedding bands. If you have tattoos, they should be covered.

Dress codes should always be checked with the client and match their requirements, the environment, and the locations you’re visiting. If the client is OK with tracksuits, shorts and t-shirts and with tattoos showing that’s fine and up to them, they are paying the bills. On long term jobs you want to be comfortable, and the team leaders and managers should work out an appropriate dress code with the client. If you smoke, never smoke when you are on duty or

I think we are bodyguards not fashionistas, so best to keep things conservative!

BEHAVIOR AND REPUTATION around your client, even if the client smokes. Don't scratch, pick your nose, chew gum, etc. when with your client. Hygiene is very important when you are working with other people. Normally, when you smell body odor on a person, the smell is from their clothes rather than the person. Shower and wash your clothes as much as possible, use deodorant but not as a substitute to washing, use mouthwash but not as a substitute for brushing your teeth. Keep your hair well cut and tidy. I spoke to someone recently who said on one job they had a complaint because their aftershave was too strong. I remember one client I worked with specifically asking that I never wore aftershave, they were paying the bills so, okay… Remember, we are there to blend in, to be in the background. We don’t want to be noticed, we don’t want to out dress the client, wear better watches than the client, take attention away from the client, as I said previously, we are not fashionistas! Where possible, always keep a washing or grooming kit handy

so when you have time you can freshen up, this will make you feel better as well as sparing other people from smelling your BO! A simple washing or grooming kit can consist of the following: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, comb, sewing kit, shoe polish and brushes. If you have a security room, be it a hotel room or a purposebuilt room in a residence, it always needs to be kept clean and tidy. If there are no cleaners, then it will be your job to dust, hover, mop and clean the toilets. If you are working a shift system, this needs to be done every time before the next shift takes over. I know you will not have seen a bodyguard with a mop and hover in the movies, but this is reality. When you are working you will come across many idiots who live in a fantasy world which is a cross between a James Bond movie and whatever special forces stories that have been told to them in the pub or seen on Facebook. This industry attracts this type of person. The big mistake a lot of people make is to forget that this is a very small industry and it’s easy to check someone out. If you 49

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 bullshit about your experience, you will be found out.

small city who has done a few courses or is an ex-local cop and touts themselves as highIf you don't know something risk bodyguard etc. would not then ask, don't bluff it. If you being doing so if they were. are working for a good team, Remember: When the big fish they will help you and respect leave the small pond to swim your honesty. If you claim to in the sea there is a very good know everything and have done chance they will eaten by everything people will class you sharks, this is why most big fish as being full of shit, and if there prefer small ponds! Think about is a problem they will stand it! back and watch you sort it out. It’s easy to test people to see if Remember, your personal they sink or swim! behavior and reputation are the most important factors in you Be careful of who you associate gaining regular employment with; the local big shot in a contracts!

Orlando Wilson has worked in the security industry internationally for over 25 years. He has become accustomed to the types of complications that can occur, when dealing with international law enforcement agencies, organized criminal and Mafia groups. He is the chief consultant for Risks Inc. and based in Miami but spends much of his time traveling and providing a wide range of kidnapping prevention and tactical training services to private and government clients. 50

TEAM BEHAVIORAL BEHAVIORTRAITS AND REPUTATION SHOW MINDSET GAPS

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tactical medicine

Beyond Tourniquets: How Tactical Medicine Needs to Evolve By Krisztian Zerkowitz

TACTICAL MEDICINE

When it comes to tactical medicine, and in general when we speak about medicinal care for non-medical personnel, the tourniquet has become the go-to piece of equipment. It is common to see Stop the Bleed classes, everyone carrying tourniquets and everyone becoming an expert on the subject.

please get trained as it could save you or someone else's life eventually.)

But, the entire TCCC protocol was established many years Let me clarify, I absolutely believe ago and it is founded on a study in the value of a tourniquet and completed many years ago. And think that taking a Stop the Bleed you know what, with the changes class, carrying tourniquets, etc. in security, assaults, degree is important. This article is not of brutality, kind of violence about me complaining about the and possible threats, not only overuse of tourniquets for the tactics change, but medicine sake of being 'tacticool'. does as well. In addition to the developments in medical Rather, it is about bringing to treatment options and the light the change in injury patterns continuously changing gear, OUR and what first responders may PATIENTS HAVE TRANSFORMED. be treating. As professional And when I say, patients have protectors and those in the altered, I mean, the causes security field, this is something of death, the mechanisms of that needs to be discussed. injury and the potential need for the type of treatment, have all Everyone who knows me, is changed. aware that I'm a big TCCC enthusiast, so I'm not going to The medical protocol is being criticize the MARCH protocol or determined according to the all of the Care Under Fire, Tactical rule that the most fatal injuries Field Care stages and how selfshould be treated first, and a assessment and buddy aid can considerable emphasis is set on save lives. (By the way, if you are the M (Massive Bleeding). This is examining this, and it doesn't due to the fact that it is a simple sound familiar, that's okay, but skill to learn, tools for it are easily 53

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 obtainable, and it is effortless to carry. However, in recent events, it appears that there has been a shift, although it is still essential to stop the hemorrhage, and massive bleedings are still lifethreatening if not addressed promptly, other traumas are becoming increasingly frequent and can be similarly hazardous.

Injuries related to explosions, such as sucking chest wounds and tension pneumothorax are becoming more common due to the increasing use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and vehicles in violent attacks. Even though there are ways to treat these respiratory issues in the field, it is not as straightforward

TACTICAL MEDICINE as dealing with severe bleeding, though it is just as critical.

Massive bleedings are still killers that, if not treated fast enough will make all your other skills obsolete.

Acquiring the relevant skills for tactical medicine demands additional training, equipment, and expertise. Also, what is legally permitted and the duration of time spent with a patient diverge. This is a difficult situation. So, what is the way forward? How can we adjust our training, skills, and resources to address this everchanging battlefield of medicine? This is an excellent question that has multiple answers. Some of these answers require adequate financial resources, while others require more backing and one that necessitates the collective contribution of all those involved in the industry. Let us take a closer look at this last one. As is the case with all aspects of our field, we must adapt and alter our methods and approaches in line with the changing times. We modify our instruction and lower the bar of the skills expected of practitioners, and try to come up with effective solutions. Has our modern, fast-paced lifestyle led to the need to rethink medical instruction and care? Is it necessary to teach a large number of people how to do a lot in the shortest time possible (like 55

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 TCCC, which was designed to give everyone the essentials as quickly as feasible)? Or is it better to just modify existing protocols to suit our purposes, even if they don't fit perfectly? This is a difficult matter and while there may be existing programs that address the issues, the industry may benefit from its own standards and not ones borrowed from elsewhere. It is fair to say that no other industry has a tactical profile similar to executive protection, and its medical protocol is tailored to the specific needs of the industry. We are not soldiers, police officers, or first responders, but possess a unique blend of skills and resources that dictate a different approach and plan of action. It is without question that we must evaluate how we practice medicine and readiness outside of the ideal, but in line with the daily tasks we face. We must adjust the current medical approaches to fit our tools and assets, both in terms of technology and financials. We can borrow certain ideas, but what we can't do is rely on what is already established, expecting it to fit into our current needs. Otherwise, the patient and all involved will endure the repercussions. 56

TACTICAL MEDICINE

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64

To put it simply, let's cease recycling the same methods, let go of that which is outdated and be bold enough to acknowledge that our industry

merits its own specific medicine since it is a complex operating environment. Just my two cents.

Krisztian was raised as a Diplomatic Close Protection Officer, working mainly for diplomatic missions, including assignments to the Middle East and Africa. Recently certified as a Tactical Paramedic, Krisztian spent the last 10 years of his protective career specialising in tactical medicine in high-risk environments and close protection. Two passions combined where enough remains to learn and experience. 58

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By Peter Jenkins ISS TRAINING LTD

www.Surveillance-theory.co.uk

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FOUR REASONS WHY By Hector Robles

Four Reasons Why Clients Prefer Female Executive Protection Is the woman that just exited the restaurant with a well-known business executive a personal friend, the children’s nanny, or an administrative assistant?

You might be surprised to learn that many females in the company of businessmen and VIPs are executive protection agents. While the security industry is overwhelmingly a maledominated profession, in recent years, female executive protection officers have found them-selves in high demand. Here are four reasons why clients sometimes request female close pro-tection professionals. 1. Female bodyguards attract less attention. Although female bodyguards

often cannot match their male counterparts’ physical size, that’s not always necessary to get the job done. Ensuring an individual and their family’s safety re-quires the ability to evaluate and mitigate risk quickly. And while a male bodyguard of above average height and a muscular physique possesses the physical ability to ward off an attacker, in certain circumstances, their presence attracts attention, making it exponentially more diffi-cult to enforce a protective cordon. 61

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 2. Female bodyguards those with children of their approach the demands of the own, often establish strong profession differently. connections to the children Where a male can rely on under their care. However, that physical strength and size relationship may take time to to intimidate a would-be form. Alternatively, the children attacker, such an approach may find themselves drawn invites confrontation with the to a female agent, especially if potential to embarrass or injure they’re already under the care a protectee. In fact, an attacker of a nanny. may decide to employ violence first in order to overcome 4. Female agents change a a male’s physical size and protective team’s dynamics. strength. Female agents, on When a protective detail the other hand, don’t present adds a female agent to the an immediate physical threat roster, the group dynamic and may convince attackers changes. A male-dominated not to use the same level of team tends to foster a more violence as they would when aggressive culture, and while faced with a male bodyguard. that approach fits with many Consequently, the lack of situations, it also increases the violence at least initially potential for an overly forceful provides a female agent with response to a rela-tively routine the time she needs to defuse a problem. volatile situation. While muscles and brute strength 3. Religious and cultural solve many problems, protecting preferences call for female executives and VIPs calls for versus male close protection. diplomacy and tact in significant Certain cultures and religions measures. Despite the fact that prefer that females do not female agents do not fit the spend time with males from stereotypical bodyguard mold, outside of their family. With they possess many of the other that in mind, some clients skills of their male col-leagues. In prefer to replace a male addition to applying many of the close protection agent with tools and tactics used by male a female. Children may react close protection professionals, better to a female agent as females remain hidden in plain well. Male agents, especially sight and remain just as effective 62

FOUR REASONS WHY in their ability to protect those under their care. And since female agents don’t stand out to the same degree as males, an attacker may not notice them until they find

themselves facing a highly trained woman agent, determined to utilize all of her training and experience to protect those in her charge.

Hector Robles is the President for Latin America and VP of Global Operations for FirstCall Corporate Security & Advisory Services (aka Steele International). He is the president of IFPO Mexico Chapter, a member of ASIS International and ASIS Mexico City Chapter as well as the Board of Executive Protection Professionals Working Group. He has 24 years of work experience in international companies such as Airbus Secure Land Communications, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Mer Security Group, and UTC. Hector holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s Double Degree in international business and trade. His security credentials include CPO certification from IFPO, and a Diploma in Leadership and Comprehensive Security Management. Hector is currently studying a cybersecurity and cyber defense Diploma. 63

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FOCUSED MEDICAL TRAINING By Andrew Hoffmann TP-C, NREMT-P

Importance of Focused Medical Training

Many executive protection teams are trained in some sort of Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) or Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), while this training is no doubt important, teams shouldn’t lose focus on the problem that routine medical emergencies may pose. It is much more likely that the principal you protect will suffer some sort of medical emergency before you need to use a tourniquet on an arterial bleed from a gunshot wound. Is your team prepared to provide care 65

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 for a medical emergency until further help can arrive? In a perfect world, teams would be trained to handle any sort of medical or trauma emergency that may present itself. However, it may be easier to focus your training on the most likely situations that could present. The question now becomes how do you determine where to focus your medical training. Teams should maintain and update frequently on TECC and TCCC training. While this may not be the most commonly needed training, any armed security teams should be proficient in trauma care. On top of this training, teams should be familiar with the principal’s medical history along with family medical history. Knowing this information can allow the executive protection team to focus in on likely medical events. If the principal has a history of diabetes, the EP team should be intimately familiar with the signs and symptoms of hyper/ hypoglycemic episodes. If 66

Is your team prepared to provide care for a medical emergency until further help can arrive?

FOCUSED MEDICAL TRAINING

you are protecting an older principal, then it may be beneficial to know about conditions that affect the older population. This all comes with preparing and receiving the training for these situations. Steps to Take to Prepare for Medical Emergencies Step 1: Compile a Comprehensive Medical History

Just as you compile a comprehensive list of work habits, lifestyle, etc. You must do this on the medical side as well. Knowing what types of medical conditions, the principal and family have, allows you to adjust your approach and knowledge in these areas. You need to not only understand the basics of the diseases but also how they affect the principal. Like what was 67

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 talked about earlier regarding diabetes, it is important to know how the principal may present if they are experiencing a hypoglycemic episode. Seeing these warning signs may allow you to intervene before the situation becomes worse. If you are able to get the principal something to eat or drink before the low blood sugar causes mental status changes, it is then a lot easier to maintain your focus to the task at hand which is protection. If the principal goes unconscious because their blood sugar got too low, now you have to deal with security issues that come

from that unwanted attention. Step 2: Compile a Comprehensive Medication List Knowing the types of medications that the principal or family is currently prescribed is just as important as knowing their medical history. This is especially true regarding the older principal. When dealing with the older population, medications are not metabolized as fast as a younger adult. The potential for an overdose on medications becomes a much greater risk. Knowing the warning signs of a potential

FOCUSED MEDICAL TRAINING overdose of the specific prescribed medications again can prepare you for dealing with these situations. Does the principal or family have any prescribed opiate/opioid pain medications? If so, do you carry naloxone (Narcan) to reverse the affects of a potential overdose.

simple vital sign equipment and know it’s use to easily assess the principal and determine if the need for treatment or evaluation by a higher trained medical provider is needed? Do you have access to a glucometer and know how to check the blood sugar on the principal?

It is important to consider these thoughts and steps if Step 3: Ensure You are you actively provide long term Carrying and Familiar with protection of a principal. While Your Medical Kit medical training is usually A one size fits all medical kit is going to be large and bulky. The limited to TCCC/TECC style medical kit that you carry should training, focused medical be personalized to the principal training should be a top priority for any executive protection that you are protecting. It team. This training is helpful should be light enough and to mitigate any potential easily accessible in times of issues faced during a medical need. If you attempt to carry emergency. You must ensure every item possible, the true that your team and yourself are needs may get lost in the fold and not be easily accessed when prepared to handle common medical emergencies that may needed. To add with this, you must know how to use the items present during your execution of located in your kit. Do you carry duties. Andrew is a Lead Medical Instructor at Summit Point Training Facility. He has a focus on Tactical Medicine and Medical Training for Executive Protection Teams. He prides his training on tailoring it to client specific needs including customized courses focused on the health and wellbeing on the principal that you are protecting. For any questions regarding medical training for your executive protection team contact him via email: Andrew.Hoffmann@summitpointtraining.com 69

SURGE IN PHYSICAL SECURITY THREATS By Ben Kunde, CFE

Surge in physical security threats linked to hybrid working A post-pandemic shift to hybrid workforces is increasing physical threat levels and creating more complex security risks.

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 These are the key findings of the 2022 State of Protective Intelligence Report which surveyed security, legal and compliance managers on the post-pandemic challenges faced by their organizations. The study found that 88% of companies are experiencing an increase in physical threat levels to managers and employees as workforces adapt to new remote and hybrid working models. The increased threats are linked to conflicts over changing work arrangements, disagreements over pandemic related health & safety policies and a general rise in social and political extremism. The report finds that many companies are struggling to adapt to the evolving nature of the security risks posed as traditional business structures are replaced by a hybrid mix of workplace and remote-based employees. Some of the key survey findings include: 72

The study found that 88% of companies are experiencing an increase in physical threat levels to managers and employees as workforces adapt to new remote and hybrid working models.

SURGE IN PHYSICAL SECURITY THREATS • 88% of companies reporting Nearly three-quarters (74%) an increase in physical threat of US companies are now activity operating some form of hybrid model with security • 88% linking increase to managers having to review and conflicts over health and adapt their pre-pandemic risk safety protocols management strategies to cope with the changes. • 85% say the physical threat landscape is expanding and Security systems and protocols diversifying designed for controlled and static workplace environments • 41% say there’s an increased are now having to manage this risk of threats being missed changing threat landscape with risk management strategies The report, commissioned by that work across a distributed the Ontic Center for Protective workforce. Intelligence, surveyed more than 350 security, legal and The report also highlighted a compliance decision-makers at link between cyber and physical U.S. companies, responsible for threats with conflicts that start over 5,000 employees. during online communications often escalating and leading to When asked to name their physical threats and risks. main security challenges, the top three responses were: To tackle these challenges, there’s a growing use of • Data management risks digital tools that use real-time (41%) tracking and AI alerts to provide continuous security coverage • Physical threats to remote across a hybrid workforce. workers (33%) Fred Burton, Executive • Physical threats to Director of the Ontic Center management/executives for Protective Intelligence, (32%) stated: 73

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"Threats or harmful incidents are occurring so often, a majority agree, that employees are used to erratic and violent behavior and don't report these as warning signs until it's too late. “This is why technology-based

tools and consistent training are more critical than ever – thankfully we are seeing greater and greater adoption of digital intelligence." The full report can be found here: [2022 State of Protective Intelligence Report]

Ben Kunde has been advising executives, celebrities, HNWIs, and Chief Security Officers on emerging threats. As a Certified Fraud Examiner, he oversees complex and cross-border investigations, asset identification and due diligence matters. Ben earned his M.B.A. from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Following his military service in Berlin at the elite German honor guard battalion, he received a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Rostock, Germany. 74

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By RANE Worldview by Zeke Cooper

What A Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Would Look Like The Initial Invasion Looming over any Chinese calculations of a Taiwan invasion is the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which is composed of approximately 375,000 military and civilian personnel arrayed across the Pacific from Alaska to South Asia, with a notable arc of military alliances and partnerships enclosing nearly the whole of the Chinese coastline. For Beijing, this means 76

speed is of the essence in any Taiwan invasion or military coercion scenario.

2 Basic Options China has two basic options at the start of a Taiwan invasion: either deter U.S. intervention or pre-emptively disrupt the U.S. ability to respond. The former requires careful timing, an overwhelming capability and ideally political confusion and/

WHAT A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN WOULD LOOK LIKE or disunity inside the United States. The latter risks instantly escalating the conflict to a full war with the United States, as Japan saw in 1941 following the attack at Pearl Harbor. While China could hope to disrupt a U.S. response through an unfavorable maritime environment in the South China Sea, it could only be confident in undercutting U.S. capabilities to respond through targeted strikes against key U.S. assets in the region, particularly those in Okinawa and Guam.

The maritime nature of a Taiwan conflict further complicates assessments of how easy it would be for China to do so. On the one hand, an amphibious assault on the island is much more difficult and dangerous than Russia's land invasion of Ukraine. On the other hand, disrupting the resupply of Taiwan by foreign powers is easier given Taiwan's distance and the risks of maritime resupply.

With Taiwan reunification an ever-present goal for Beijing, China seeks to achieve Outpace foreign intervention regional military preeminence in order to prevent other For Beijing, then, an ideal (especially Western) powers Taiwan war scenario is a fait accompli. Chinese forces would from countering China's strategic plans. Beijing aims rapidly overwhelm Taiwanese to achieve this by making its defenses, deter or delay U.S. military more capable, efficient intervention, seize key political centers, and force a capitulation and technologically advanced by Taiwanese leadership before to compete as a top-tier force. China's rapid naval expansion foreign forces could physically is just one case in point. In intervene. This is similar to what Russia apparently sought 1996, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) comprised to achieve in its February 2022 57 ships; by 2019, that number invasion of Ukraine, though had increased to 335 ships, Moscow clearly miscalculated surpassing the U.S. Navy's both the country's will and military capability to fight back, 296. In 2022, China led the as well as the West's social and world in ship production by political will to rapidly intervene. tonnage. 77

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Massive Amphibious Force Whatever way China chooses to deter or delay U.S. intervention, Beijing needs a massive amphibious force to accomplish its goals in Taiwan. By some assessments, China needs some 600,000 troops to cross the 80-mile-wide Taiwan Strait to ensure victory. Even if we consider a significantly smaller 300,000-person invasion force, the logistics challenges are still significant, and the risks during the crossing are substantial. China will rely on railways and vehicles to transport the bulk of personnel and materiel from the country's interior to the coast for embarkation. Absent air and naval superiority, Chinese sea points of departure will still be threatened by long-range fire from Taiwanese and supporting Western forces, while ships in transit might be targeted by their subsurface fleet. China will also need to disrupt any Western attempts to reinforce Taiwan with troops or materiel, likely pushing Chinese fleet operations out to key choke points around the periphery of the East and South China seas. While designed to secure the invasion of Taiwan, such actions will significantly 78

disrupt supply chains throughout maritime Asia, risking rapid economic retaliation from abroad and putting global pressure on China to stop its operations. The greatest threat will come from the fast-attack submarines from the U.S. Pacific Fleet, looking to interdict the transit of high-value targets like Chinese troop transports and support vessels. In contrast to the perceived parity between U.S. and Chinese air forces, China's anti-submarine warfare capabilities have few answers for the fast and quiet subsurface fleet. Even without U.S. intervention, Taiwanese military doctrine emphasizes ''offshore engagement,'' meant to prevent and delay Chinese forces from landing in Taiwan. All the while, China will want to limit the amount of ordnance it expends on Taiwan — the purpose of a war would be unification, not the destruction of Taiwanese infrastructure and industrial capacity. Air – Sea Domination China, then, must assert domination of air and sea space around Taiwan as part of

WHAT A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN WOULD LOOK LIKE

Even without U.S. intervention, Taiwanese military doctrine emphasizes ''offshore engagement,'' meant to prevent and delay Chinese forces from landing in Taiwan.

any invasion, both to degrade resistance and to deter U.S. intervention. China has carried out several exercises using commercial roll-on/roll-off ships to test their use in a conflict scenario, but many experts and analysts assess that Beijing still lacks the number of vessels necessary not only for the initial invasion, but for the massive logistical effort necessary to maintain progress. Further, as China has expanded its navy, its focus on bluewater capabilities has seemed to prefer large amphibious ships more suited to distant operations than numerous smaller craft suited for a Taiwan scenario. There are seven key sites in Taiwan that are the most geographically suited for a Chinese landing. But Beijing could look to surprise Taiwanese defenders by concentrating combat power at locations that present natural obstacles for a landing force and thus are likely to be less heavily defended. This would likely come at a high cost of personnel for the Chinese forces and take additional time if the element of surprise is lost — something in short supply for a successful invasion. 79

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Consolidating Gains Any success in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan will be shortlived if it cannot be sustained. Troops need to be fed, equipment needs to be replaced or refitted and casualties need to be accounted for and evacuated. China's military assesses that 2,100 aircraft and 8,000 ships will be required to support the inflow of fresh troops and supplies and the evacuation of casualties.

In a real-world test of its capabilities, the CPC was able to leverage the Joint Logistic Support Force (JLSF) to provide medical services and build hospitals to support emergency response efforts across the country early in the COVID-19 crisis. For China, a rapid landing and overwhelming of initial Taiwanese defenses and the establishment of a robust

WHAT A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN WOULD LOOK LIKE logistics train would be only the start. Taiwan has an active-duty force of 165,000 in addition to 1.7 million reserve personnel. If the Taiwanese are unable to prevent Chinese troops from landing, they will likely resort to urban combat or over time transition to concealed positions in the forested mountains. This is because, despite the manifold capabilities of the Taiwanese defense forces to inflict considerable losses on the Chinese military, they do not have the resources to sustain a defense-in-depth strategy and prevent China from offloading tens of thousands of troops on the island if these Chinese forces are able to gain a foothold. Hearts and Minds The optics of a violent occupation of a ''part of China'' will have a deleterious effect on China's international standing and hinder the overall aim of exerting control over Taiwan. The response by Ukraine to Russia's invasion highlights the perils of carrying out an occupation among a militarized civilian population. Winning hearts and minds is central to a successful counterinsurgency operation. However, the

violence of action required by the Chinese at the start of an invasion could permanently turn the Taiwanese population against Beijing. Finally, even if China is capable of deterring U.S. and international involvement, and of overwhelming Taiwan's military and guerrilla defenders, there are still major long-term challenges of occupation, including ensuring stability and figuring out how to use Taiwanese manpower and industrial capacity — not to mention completing political integration. In 2003, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki told Congress that several hundred thousand troops would be needed to maintain control of Iraq post-invasion. The 1945 allied occupation of Germany and the 1999 NATO deployment to Kosovo occupied their respective areas at a ratio of 1 soldier for every 40 civilians. At that rate, with Taiwan's population at 24 million, China would need 600,000 personnel to secure vital public facilities, critical infrastructure and the population, as well as address 81

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 the insurgency. This rough estimate also does not account for a protracted, large-scale conflict with America and its allies. A High-Risk Option Given 30 years of military modernization, investment and technical advancements, China's People's Liberation Army is assessed by many to be capable of militarily seizing Taiwan, depending on many other outside factors. However, the enterprise would come at a great cost. The integration of joint elements, complex planning and the inherent difficulty associated with amphibious operations have impeded Beijing's ambitions since the 1950s. The close relationship between Taiwan and the United States since the exodus of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces has enabled Taiwan to heavily fortify the island against the threat of invasion. Pledges of support by U.S. administrations and the placement of military installations throughout the western Pacific portend a likely U.S. kinetic reaction to Chinese aggression. 82

Violent incursion into Taiwan would serve to isolate China politically and economically, and would be far from guaranteeing the effective integration of Taiwan into the greater Chinese political, social and economic system.

WHAT A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN WOULD LOOK LIKE chain to establish clear regional military dominance, it retains options short of what would be an incredibly risky invasion. Namely, the employment of gray zone strategies would allow the CCP to continue to pressure Taiwan without necessarily instigating a military reaction from the United States or its By contrast, assuming that allies. Although this strategy has Beijing aims to exert de facto political and military control over its own perils and shortcomings, Taiwan and enable the Chinese compared with an all-out invasion, it may be Beijing's best military to project combat option. power beyond the first island Furthermore, a violent incursion into Taiwan would serve to isolate China politically and economically, and would be far from guaranteeing the effective integration of Taiwan into the greater Chinese political, social and economic system.

Zeke Cooper is an Applied Geopolitics Fellow at RANE who has conducted significant research on China-Taiwan relations. : Stratfor Worldview 83

ASK THE NABA NETWORK

Understanding that different cultures have different palates and traditions, we asked agents who travel frequently abroad: What's the craziest (or worst) thing you've eaten during your trips abroad? Pierre Martin - Cobra in Laos. Shaundra Bodnar - Fried whole Quail eggs in the shell in Thailand.

Paul A. White - Balut in the Philippines.

Michael Brown - Mouse Meat in West Africa. Bill Peeler - Tuna Fish eyes, duck heads and lizard soup. Louie Qaoud - Kangaroo in Australia, and grilled bull testicles in Spain. Mads Ostebovik - Well, I still think the grossest thing is in my home country. Smalahove, (smoked Sheep’s head),in Norway.

Susanne Dancer - Does Haggis Count?

Elijah Shaw - Fugu (poisonous puffer fish) in Japan. Einar Mykleburst - I ordered grilled rabbit in Ibiza, but the last time I checked rabbit does not have 4 legs that are equal in size and length?!? Aaron Mauldin - Goat brain Curry in Pakistan, and pretty much any food in Siberia. That’s why we killed a deer off base and got busted trying to cook it in the hotel kitchen!

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Global Situation Report ANALYSIS

Each issue our global geopolitical partner, Stratfor, provides an indepth analysis of global incidents via in-house experts, cutting edge technology and through a comprehensive globally sourced network. Here is your summary from the last 30 days.

Ethiopia: Opposition Party Calls for Peace Plan as Conflict Heats Up Ethiopia's opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) party on Dec. 8 called for the international community to pressure the federal government to pursue a peaceful and political resolution to the ongoing armed conflict in the Oromia region. Why It Matters: The OFC's statement highlights the ongoing violence in Oromia that is likely to worsen in the coming months. Clashes and attacks carried out by Amhara militias in Oromia could escalate into larger ethnic clashes reminiscent of those that took place over the summer in the Oromia and Amhara regions. Additionally, worsening violence in Oromia will continue to fuel political instability in the country. Pakistan: Afghan Taliban's First Test to Keep Critical Projects Secure Pakistan is preparing to source liquified natural gas (LNG) from Turkmenistan by land via Afghanistan. 86

GLOBAL SITUATION REPORT Why It Matters: The planned route will be the first major regional connectivity project to test the Afghan Taliban's ability to keep critical projects secure. Apart from threats from Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, border conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan will threaten the project's implementation. Ukraine: Half of Ukraine's Critical Electricity Infrastructure Damaged According to Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, around 50% of Ukraine's critical electricity infrastructure has been damaged and some has been totally destroyed. Why It Matters: Russia's campaign against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure will lead to an increasingly dire humanitarian situation as colder temperatures sweep the country, which will likely prompt more Ukrainians to flee westward toward the European Union. However, the campaign remains unlikely to change Ukraine's stance in the war, despite claims from Russian officials to the contrary. Even so, the damage caused by the strikes will increase the cost of stabilizing Ukraine's economy and helping the country rebuild, which Russia hopes will fuel war fatigue in the West.

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Uzbekistan: Tashkent Skeptical of Russia's 'Tripartite Gas Union' Proposal Peru Less than two years after taking office, Peru's president has been impeached and detained by authorities after he tried to dissolve Congress ahead of a scheduled vote to oust him. China New COVID-19 management measures significantly ease burdens on individuals and businesses, boosting economic prospects and stemming the immediate risk of renewed lockdowns and protests, though they could reemerge over the next year. South Africa The governing African National Congress (ANC) told party members to reject a South African advisory panel's findings that President Ramaphosa — once lauded as the ''anti-corruption president — may have violated the constitution at an upcoming parliamentary vote. UK The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish regional parliament does not have the authority to pass a bill organizing an independence referendum in Scotland.

Uzbekistan's energy minister responded to a Russian proposal for a "gas union" including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia by saying the government would not agree to any political conditions that would jeopardize its national interests. Why It Matters: Uzbekistan's skepticism toward the idea is in line with Kazakhstan's and reflects Central Asian states' fear that Moscow could use any increased economic dependence on Russia to secure political concessions. This fear has grown following Russia's use of natural gas supplies in energy blackmail attempts against European states in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

GLOBAL SITUATION REPORT EU: Bloc Includes Croatia in Schengen Area, Blocks Romania and Bulgaria The interior ministers of the European Union member states voted to include Croatia in the bloc's passpor t-free travel zone, the Schengen area, but Austria and the Netherlands blocked the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. Why It Matters: Schengen area membership brings significant economic benefits to the member countries because the lack of border controls accelerates the movement of goods across borders. It also simplifies the movement of tourists and workers, as residents in the Schengen area do not need visas to move within it. Argentina: Protests Likely After Vice President Found Guilty of Corruption Argentine Vice President and former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison, as well as banned from holding public office. Why It Matters: Kirchner currently has immunity as vice president and is likely to launch an appeal process (which could take years), meaning she is unlikely to serve time in prison in the near term. However, mass protests are likely to occur in the capital of Buenos Aires and possibly in other major cities in the coming days, and the largest protests are likely to be launched by the pro-Kirchner Everybody's Front (Frente de Todos) coalition. Protests could include violent clashes between opposing protesters and between protesters and security forces.

Libya Eastern Mediterranean countries will seek to exploit Libya's internal disputes to further their own causes, ultimately complicating political unification in Libya and potentially triggering more oil blockades in the future. Israel Israel will increase civilian and intelligence aid to Ukraine as its rival Iran increases military support for Russia, feeding into the deterioration of overall Russo-Israeli ties that could result in economic and political retaliation. Northern Ireland The U.K. government's decision to delay a regional election in Northern Ireland to March or April gives London more time to reach a compromise with Brussels on reforming the Northern Ireland protocol, but significant obstacles remain and a trade war is still possible. Brazil Left-wing candidate and former president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's hotly contested presidential runoff with 50.9% of the vote — narrowly beating out incumbent right-wing candidate Bolsonaro.

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Russia: EU to Propose Investment Ban in Russia's Mining Sector in Next Sanctions Package The European Commission for the first time proposed banning new investments in Russia's mining sector in the bloc's forthcoming ninth sanctions package on Russia since the war in Ukraine began. Why It Matters: Targeting Russia's mineral extraction industries will put upward pressure on global metals prices and threaten a key source of Russian government revenue in the long run. The commission has previously avoided targeting Russia's mining sector specifically to avoid disrupting global supply chains and fueling inflation. The new sanctions will be the subject of intense negotiations and will likely include derogations for certain minerals, such as titanium, palladium and nickel, for which the European Union cannot quickly find alternative suppliers because of Russia's dominant position in the market. Peru: President Dissolves Congress, Congress Votes to Impeach President The Peruvian armed forces have declared that they oppose President Pedro Castillo's Dec. 7 call for the temporary dissolution of Congress in a bid to convene a new Congress in addition to other stipulations including rule by decree until new congressional elections occur, a restructuring of the judiciary and the establishment of a state of emergency. Why It Matters: The armed forces will enforce Congress' impeachment of Castillo as opposed to Castillo's measures to rule by decree, signaling that Castillo is unlikely to continue as president. Instead, the more popular Vice President Dina Boluarte will likely become president, but could face political backlash for her association with Castillo. In another potential scenario, Boluarte could resign, which would lead Congress to take over until new presidential elections are called. Whatever the outcome, Peru will almost certainly face widespread disruptive demonstrations and extreme market volatility in the coming weeks. Japan: Fighter Jets Arrive in Philippines as Part of Air Force Exchange The Japanese Air Self Defense Force landed two F-15 fighter jets in the Philippines as part of an air force exchange program. The two countries are currently discussing a Visiting Forces Agreement, which would allow the Japanese Self Defense Force to use military bases in the Philippines. 90

GLOBAL SITUATION REPORT

Why It Matters: For Japan, this is a major milestone in repairing relations with formerly colonized nations and in gaining access to further military bases in the region. For the Philippines, this exchange is a step in opposition to Chinese security interests. As a result, China will likely offer economic incentives to entice the Philippines to rethink and minimize future security actions, for example by downsizing the upcoming Visiting Forces Agreement with Japan. Congo: M23 Rebels Ready to Withdraw From Occupied Areas The M23 rebel group said it is ready to withdraw from occupied territory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in support of "regional efforts to bring long lasting peace." Why It Matters: An M23 withdrawal would meet the Congolese government's preconditions for peace talks, so the move may open the door to such talks going forward. However, the Congolese government and the East African Community may still refuse to negotiate with M23 due to ongoing clashes with the group.

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TACTICAL FIREARMS By Orlando Wilson

Close Protection

Firearms Pistol Shooting at 100 Meters Plus I have written this article in response to numerous comments and messages I have received after posting videos on social media platforms from our firearms training courses where our students regularly shoot targets at 100 meters plus and complete a close protection pistol drill that involves shooting at 2 meters, 7 meters and 100 meters.

Personally, I have been involved commercially in the armed security industry since 1994, after leaving the British Army in 1993. I In this article I will discuss distance spent 5-years in a British Infantry Battalion (1-WFR), which did shooting with a pistol and the provide at least a basic foundation applications for close protection. for my future career. In the The fact I have to write this article late 1990’s I started to organize to address this topic shows how many in the armed close protection firearms training courses in the Former USSR. I also worked in the industry are extremely limited in their understanding of the industry, firearms and security business the United States for 18 years where environments they could work in I owned licensed security and and the required skill sets. If you view our Instagram, YouTube or TikTok site you can see multiple examples of these drills.

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 private investigation agencies that provided armed security and close protection services. While in the US I certified well over 900 people for their Florida Concealed Carry Permits alone and ran a multitude of tactical firearms courses and events. I have also provided tactical firearms training and where legal armed security services in Latin America, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East and Africa. So, I understand the firearms, armed security, and close protection industries just a little bit... Shooting a full size or compact handgun in a common defensive caliber (9mm, .40, .45 etc.) accurately at 100 meters is not difficulty if the shooter knows how to shoot properly. If they have a proper grip, stance/position, sight picture and trigger pull they will hit the target. Unless of course they are poorly trained or handicapped in some way. The reason most people believe they can’t shoot accurately at 100 meters and beyond is because other people or have told them they can’t, or they have read some bullshit article, or watched some bullshit videos on the internet that have also told them they can’t. It’s a sad fact that these days most people in general are that stupid and brain washed that they believe what they are told without questioning if the sources are reliable and if the information is even accurate. 94

If they have a proper grip, stance/position, sight picture and trigger pull they will hit the target. Unless of course they are poorly trained or handicapped in some way.

TACTICAL FIREARMS Glock 17 Shooting at 10 Meters & 100 Meters Firearms Training Industry These days the firearms training industry is more geared towards all-inclusive entertainment, recreation, and sports rather than defensive shooting. Defensive shooting is about quickly and efficiently killing others who are trying to kill you, your family or those you are protecting. Its not about scoring points, having fun, and posting tacticool selfies and videos on social media. Dealing with life and death is not a fucking game… Like most things in society the standards in the firearms training industry have been dumbed down to make things more inclusive for everyone, and standards have been intentional lowered. Such organizations as the National Rifle Association have such low standards for qualifications because their main aim is fundraising, more certificates issued, the more money for them. Law enforcement and security firearms qualifications have been lowered because agencies and companies need bodies to work for them and high standards would eliminate most of their work force.

carry and work with a firearm? Sadly, these simple qualifications are being touted by many as the top standard, usually by firearms instructors with very limited experience and skill sets. If supposed firearms instructors and experts are telling people that they can not shoot past 30 meters/yards with a pistol the majority of sheep they are training or who listening to their bullshit will believe them and take their words as the gospel truth. To start with it also makes the sheep’s lives easier because they can stay in their comfort zones, pass simple qualifications, and consider themselves to be qualified gun fighters... My advice to those of you that are serious about carrying firearms for defensive purposes is that you should be training to always surpass your previous limits and results. You should be testing yourself and your weapons to the maximum you safely can with the facilities you have. If you are not failing then you are not progressing. If you have access to 100 meter plus ranges and you are only shooting your handgun at 25 meters, to me that’s the same as if you are driving an Audi R8 on a German autobahn at 25 miles per hour.

So, easy to pass qualifications have Glock 17 Shooting at 100, 200 and become the industry standard. 300 Meters. You can hear the hits Why do more if all it takes is to on the steel targets! pass a simple qualification to

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TACTICAL FIREARMS good habits, instinctive reactions, and muscle memory… A very basic tactical rule is that you do not stand fucking static in the fucking open It’s another sad fact that the majority of close protection firearms and change magazines, you move to fucking cover! Serious training instructors have limited, if any is about building good habits from experience working in the armed the start. close protection industry. This is why most of what people are being taught on close protection firearms Such drills being promoted as highspeed tacticool shit are nothing courses is at best, competition shooting techniques and scenarios. more than entertainment… Tactical Applications for Close Protection and Armed Security

Competition shooting sports can teach good skills, but most forget that being in a safe controlled shooting range is a lot different than being on the streets or in a hostile environment. There are many firearms instructors who’s only experience of using a firearm is on a shooting range and they have never actually carried firearms for personal defense or worked in any armed capabilities, but they are teaching defensive and tactical courses… Basic rule, always verify the real-world experience of your instructors, and don’t be fooled by a bunch of pretty certificates! Supposed tactical training drills where the shooters or students are doing nothing but standing static and doing weapons reloads or transitioning from rifle to pistol etc. might be fun and look cool, especially if the shooters are dressed up in tactical helmets and plate carriers but are in reality completely stupid unless being taught at a novice or introductory level. Training is about building up

I have heard too many people say that if you must shoot past 50 meters then you should use a carbine. Well, sure, if you have one and can legally carry it then why not… The trouble is in most places they are only available to military or police personnel to use while on duty. Even in most U.S. states carbines are not approved to be carried for private armed security or close protection duties. So, your primary firearm will be a pistol and you should be able to shoot it accurately at close, medium, and long distances. Now, if you’re serious about working in the armed close protection or security business you should understand a little bit about tactics and how to apply accurate suppressing fire, I talk about this in my article on “Pistol as a Primary Weapon”. A lot of what I am covering briefly here is covered in detail in my three books on close protection that are available on Amazon and listed at the bottom of this article. 97

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Close Protection Scenarios It’s a fact that most armed incidents that happen with handguns take place at close quarters, usually at ranges well under 7 meters. For most armed civilians and police being able to shoot accurately within 7 to 10 meters is all they will ever need to train for. But there are circumstances where they may need to be able to shoot accurately at longer distances. One recent example is where an armed citizen, Eli Dicken, engaged and stopped an active shooter at a range of 40 yards and hit with 8 of the 10 rounds that he fired. If you are working in the armed close protection industry you should be training to a standard that is beyond the required standard for armed security guards and cops. You are being hired to protect people lives in potentially hostile situations, and not just to dress up, look cool and hang out with VIP’s! Here I am listing some scenarios where it would possibly be applicable for close protection personnel to be able to shoot at 100 meters or more with a pistol. The fact I am having to write this in response to many questions says a lot about the standards of those in the industry and what they are being taught on supposed close protection courses by supposed close protection instructors. Please note these are quick examples to make you think, in reality there are 98

that many variables to situations that it would be impossible to cover them all in a short article if at all! Close Protection Pistol Drill (CPPD) Conferences & Events I have been in many conference rooms and event venues that are more than 100 meters in length. Now, for example, your client is on stage giving a speech and a known stalker or active shooter enters the conference room and starts shooing at your client from a distance of 100 meters, what will you do? Your reaction will depend on several variables. 1. Are you working alone? 2. What’s the distance is between you and your client? Tactics if you’re working alone vary from if you’re working with others. Most people who have gone through basic close protection training will say their reaction should be to get to and move the client to safety, which if doable is a perfect reaction. Trouble is the world is not perfect. What if the client can not move, is injured, panicking, old, disabled, over weight etc. etc. If you are working by yourself, it can be quicker and safer for both you and your client to take out the threat quickly and efficiently rather than trying to evacuate the client. This applies to all distances. While focusing on evacuating the client you are venerable. SOP’s can be

TACTICAL FIREARMS

If you are working by yourself, it can be quicker and safer for both you and your client to take out the threat quickly and efficiently rather than trying to evacuate the client.

the clients are briefed to move to safety as you deal with the threat. If you are working with another person, then one person can move the client as the other engages the threat. For more on professional distance etc. read my article “BodyCover & Professional Distance”. So, in this scenario within a large conference room you could have to engage a threat at distance. I will talk about the issue of shooting bystanders at the end of this section. Residential Security Many wealthy people live in large houses with large gardens and grounds. In a perfect world a carbine would be idea for estate security but as I stated earlier due to legal restrictions private security personnel are usually restricted to pistols and shotguns. Would it make sense for a Close Protection and Residential Security Team team working with a client who spends time on a large property to be able to accurately shoot a pistol to 100 meters and more, of course it would! In such scenarios of targeted home invasions or kidnapping attempts we cannot predict the distances of confrontations and must be able to deal with all situations at all applicable distances. Hostile Environments If you're in semi-rural or rural environments being able to reach out with your firearms is essential, 99

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if you only have a pistol, then you better be able to shoot past 25 meters with it. Simple scenario, your vehicle gets a flat tire in a rural area, and you draw the attention of unfriendly locals. Do you put warning or suppressive shots on them at distance or pick your nose and wait for them to get within the distance you did your security guard firearms qualification at before engaging them. Suppressing fire can be used to deter hostiles from chasing you or at least slow them down as you try to escape. Vehicle Ambush Every Close Protection course should at least discuss and usually practice vehicle ambush drills 100

and the transfer drill. On armed courses the students are meant to engage the hostiles while the client is evacuated. In such scenarios the ambushers could be over 100 meters away, so again if you are armed with a pistol will you sit there and pick your nose or put suppressing fire on the bad guys? Common fucking sense really, right? Innocent Bystanders Firstly, in my opinion, no one is fucking innocent, that’s just a fact of life… One question being asked is what if you shoot an innocent bystander? If you look at how many bystanders are shot in police involved shooting in the US, you

TACTICAL FIREARMS will see it’s a common element of defensive shooting. You as a professional must train effectively, understand your capabilities, your weapons capabilities and do everything possible to avoid any unnecessary casualties. But! Now I hear a lot of Hollywood bullshit about protectors saying they would die for their client, but no one talks about if they would kill innocent people for their client? Lets go back the scenario of the conference room where the active shooter is firing at your client from behind the cover of innocent people, what are you going to do? Are you going to shoot the innocent people to clear the way so you can get kill shots on the active shooter? This might cost the lives of several innocent people, but you could save your clients life and the lives of many more others… What would you do? What would I do, well that depends on how much I am being paid…

qualification target at 2 Meters, 5X rounds at 7 Meters, 5X rounds at 100 Meters. I am a great believer in the term “Double Tap and Die”, so we put 5 rounds into the targets. I should not have to explain the first 2 phases, these are basic shooting skills. To effectively rapid fire you need to have a good grip on your pistol and smooth trigger control. Now, the part people seem to have trouble believing capable are the shots at 100 meters. In the videos on this page we are shooing on your standard upper body steel plate targets at 100 meters and beyond. If you follow the below instructions and have a proper position (supported behind cover if required), grip, trigger pull and point of aim you will hit your target. 1. Identify target 2. Stabilize

For more considerations for working armed read my article “Working Armed Internationally”.

3. Get a proper sight picture

Close Protection Pistol Drill (CPPD)

5. Get the final sight picture

The Close Protection Pistol Drill (CPPD)

6. Squeeze the trigger

4. Take up the slack on the trigger

When practicing ensure the I put together the Close Protection range your using has a sufficient backstop, and you rounds will not Pistol Drill (CPPD) as a test for go over it. Start shooting from a students completing our tactical and combat pistol courses. The drill bench rest at your usual maximum consists of 5X rounds on a standard range (30 Meters) at say a paper 101

CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 and you will need to aim above your intended point on impact on the target. This is called aiming off. Different calibers, weights of bullets and brands have different drop rates. Below is a generic table I put together that can be used as a guide for bullet drop at 100 meters. You will need to learn how your pistols shoot with your carry ammunition as results can very due to the makes and models of guns and the ammo being used.

plate target and increase the range as your accuracy increases. It should not take long for you to be able to consistently hit or be within 12 inches of a standard silhouette qualification target at 100 meters, which is sufficient. When shooting at 100 meters plus the bullets your firing will drop,

Conclusion Hopefully this article has addressed some of the questions about the relevance of being able to shoot at distance with a handgun for close protection. If you are working armed in the close protection business you must understand the only person you can rely on is yourself, especially if the shit hits the fan. You need to be able to react instinctively to hostile situations and not be limited by rules made for incompetent sheep. The terrorists and criminals have no safety or operational boundaries, and to counter them neither can you!

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 By Dale L. June

The Unseen Obvious Tell One day while watching former president Trump with his protective detail on a news segment I saw and realized something I had never put much thought into before.

The reason was that I was so accustomed to seeing it, having once been a practitioner of it. The observation was that the obvious giveaway or “tell” makes it apparent which members of a protectee’s entourage is a protective agent. It brought me to think of something I began to ask many years ago and addressed in the 1998 first edition of Introduction to Executive Protection. “Who Watches the Watchers?” My conclusion then and now is “Everyone!” However, in this case, many don’t actually see 104

what I recognized. Whenever I see a protective detail, be it the Secret Service, a protector escorting a rock star, or a high-level businessperson such as Elon Musk or Bill Gates in the news, I always look to see if I can spot the agents, and I am convinced many other people do also. Some people watch from the comfort of their living room chair and have thoughts and opinions of the protectors based of their degree of experience, while some have aspirations of being a protector.

THE UNSEEN OBVIOUS TELL

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Now consider the person who is planning an attack. He/ She/They watch and learn to identify the protective posture, while planning procedures to neutralize the agents. This would include identifying and counting how many they are, and their positioning. To the trained eye, there are certain telltale signs they might look for. • Earpieces…. Check • Sunglasses… Check • Sleeve Mic. … Check • Lapel pin…. Check • Serious face (scowl or grimace) ….. Check • Head slowly turning left to right…. Check • Hands at belt buckle level or straight down the side…. Check • Knees slightly bent….. Check • Feet shoulder width apart (when standing still)….. Check • Positioning….. Check 106

Observation is much more than surveillance, seeing, or watching. It is recognizing what you are seeing. It is seeing the extraordinary from the ordinary. To really see something is to recognize what we are seeing as our input (based on our experience, memory, intuition, imagination, etc) and to react accordingly. Observation is to notice everything unusual and out of the ordinary in everyday life. If, however, something has been seen so often it becomes ordinary and expected, it thus becomes invisible. We think in routines and patterns. After becoming accustomed to routines and patterns, we no longer see things that fall into the same pattern and routine dayafter-day. Because the mind and eyes are habituated, what has been seen as routine becomes imperceptible. An example is the route you take from home to work every day. You pass certain landmarks, signs, buildings, etc. One day you see something and are amazed and wonder how long that object has been there. Further inspection reveals it has been there for years, perhaps decades.

THE UNSEEN OBVIOUS TELL We all see things differently and form a perspective, a point of view, or an observation. The conclusion we arrive at is influenced by association of ideas of what things should look like and what is expected of a certain image. The mental image formed of a protective agent that observers receive is from a perspective of seeing protective agent stereotypes in movies, news media, and in person close quarters. Agents unconsciously manage and reenforce the stereotypical image by maintaining a profile of what outsiders expect to see in an

agent’s dress, demeanor, and attentive attention to detail. There are things (all mentioned in the second paragraph above) that are customary and well known in most protective assignments and are standard throughout the entire field of close protective operations, yet they can be altered by simple conscious decisions of eliminating many of the image depictions. However, the most obvious telltale sign a person is a protection agent accompanying

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Even in inclement weather, the protectors will leave his overcoat unbuttoned and open as a buttoned jacket hinders or could even prevent, access to the agent’s sidearm. a protectee is one that cannot for, practical purposes, easily be changed. Most often agents are dressed in suits, sportscoats, or casual jackets, depending on the circumstances and setting. In many instances the employer (protectee) is a high-profile businessperson and wants the security team to take a low-key, covert approach. He or she may even introduce the agents to his staff as temporary consultants or business associates. Perhaps he arranges to have security have an office nearby his office and to walk with him and to attend business meetings. However even with intentionally lowering the profile, I could spot

the protectors because they were the only ones in the group whose suit jackets are not buttoned. Even in inclement weather, the protectors will leave his overcoat unbuttoned and open as a buttoned jacket hinders or could even prevent, access to the agent’s sidearm. Through habit, training and necessity, something as small as an unbuttoned or unzipped jacket can be an unconscious indicator of their role in that particular environment which an adversary can use to identify and develop countermeasures. The takeaway for me, is when we are doing it, are we intentional in our actions? If not, then the obvious continues to remain invisible in its ordinariness.

Dale June is a former U.S. Secret Service Agent assigned to the Presidential Protective Division at the White House plus serving in the Sacramento and San Diego field Offices and holds a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice is from George Washington University. He currently teaches at National University, Los Angeles and is the author/co-author of nine books about protection and Homeland Security/Terrorism 108

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IFSEC International 16-18 May, 2023 London, UK

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Keeping Your Edge: the illusion From the red carpets of the film festivals in Cannes, to providing services to attendees of the G7 Summit in the Bavarian Alps, Close Protection is an industry that can have you do, and see, some pretty amazing things.

By Elijah Shaw

The business will have you eating in five star restaurants, and staying in hotels under Egyptian cotton sheets with panoramic views. However, with all of this comes a dirty little secret in our business… Sometimes we let it go to our 112

heads. The fact about it is, just being in the immediate orbit of the ultra-wealthy has a halo effect, and that no matter if they are an executive exiting a Gulfstream, or a rockstar

KEEPING YOUR EDGE

The VIP might truly feel that members of their party should benefit from their status or successes. Alternatively, they might not think anything of it at all, as an all too common companion to reaching the pinnacle, is narcissism.

shopping in a fancy boutique, just being with them can make others treat you differently. The halo effect is actually quite common for members of the inner circle, who frequently enjoy perks that come as a result of being closely (or in some cases, loosely), associated with the VIP. The VIP might truly feel that members of their party should benefit from their status or successes. Alternatively, they might not think anything of it at all, as an all too common companion to reaching the pinnacle, is narcissism. Regardless, the entourage can have some of the glow rub off of them, just by proximity to power (i.e. success). In many cases, this might lead to an abuse of power by someone who is not used to it, or just does not understand the implications of misuse. For example the close friend of a singer, who abuses free meals at a restaurant even when the VIP is not present. Or more concerning, the associate of 113

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a tech giant, who thinks that sexual harassments does not apply to geniuses or their friends. And while readers of this might agree with every word, sometimes we can be quick to notice the faults in others, but be much slower to recognize the same in ourselves.

Illusion. The belief that due to our proximity to the VIP, we are in effect VIP’s ourselves, and therefore entitled to more. That more is a sliding scale, and could be in relation to the general public, other members of the entourage, or even fellow Protectors. Just as an actor might rank himself as having more star power Try as we might to ignore it than another member of the when presenting our “Alpha” cast, and therefore be entitled image to clients and fellow to more, we sometimes do protectors, we in the industry, the same, ranking ourselves can also fall victim to The against other agents, with one 114

KEEPING YOUR EDGE of the major factors being the prestige of our clients. The fallacy in this type of thinking comes from the fact that we now judge our value by our clients, not by the job we do. We create a manufactured hierarchy in which popularity or net worth is the deciding factor in how other members of our own industry should feel about us. This is often displayed as arrogance, or standoffishness when in the presence of other protection professionals. Social circles, now become professional cliques, with the unwritten basis of membership being how many albums your client has sold, or blockbusters they have starred in. Yet ultimately, the job we do is rooted in risk management and risk avoidance. While higher profile VIP’s might have a greater degree of risk, the fact that we think of ourselves as better than our peers who might not have a roster as prestigious is detrimental to

the long term growth of the industry as a whole. On a macro level, this may turn off newcomers in the business, as they see the mantras of brotherhood as paper thin. Meanwhile on a micro level, the fact that we start believing the illusion – than the client’s lifestyle is also our own, can work all the way up to the point where it doesn’t. It only takes one occasion for that VIP to look at what they might perceive as excess from their Protector, to remove him or her from the detail. Alternatively, if we get stuck in a pattern of “keeping up with the Joneses,” that becomes increasing harder to do, when Mr. Jones has a net worth that is astronomically larger than our own. Don’t get me wrong, there are some clients who genuinely do not mind their agents enjoying some of the fruits of their labor. In the same vein, there are Protectors who absolutely have what could be perceived as an “elite” 115

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standing in the industry, and have been using that status to elevate others. The purpose here is to hold a mirror up, so that we can honestly look at ourselves and say, am I

operating in the real world, or am I getting sucked into an illusion that could affect my performance at a critical moment?

Elijah Shaw is the National Director of the North American Bodyguard Association and the CEO of ICON Global, and International Executive Protection Consulting Firm. Elijah, who has been featured in international publications such as Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, and Portfolio, runs the ICON Academy, an EP Training Program specializing in Celebrity & VIP Protection. He also currently sits on the Board of Directors of Executive Security International (ESI), the United States oldest Executive Protection Training School. His books, An Introduction to Executive Protection & Touring & Introduction to Executive Protection 4th edition, cowritten by Dale L. June (USSS ret.), both hit the Amazon best sellers list, and are available now worldwide in print, digital and audiobook formats. 116

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Email: info@circuit-magazine.com United Kingdom 3D Security Ltd Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1TG Based in Taunton 3D Security provides security services for a wide range of clients. Whether you need a security guard in Somerset, event security in Leeds or Close Protection in London we will provide a solution for your needs. T: +44 (0)1823 253 001 W - www.3dsecurity.org E - enquiries@3dsecurity.org.uk A.B.I. Solutions A.B.I Solutions is a dynamic, forward thinking company, specialising in surveillance, security and investigations with local, national and internationalexperience. A.B.I provides a wide range of services to the corporate sector and individuals alike. W - www.abisolutions.co.uk Amanda Campbell A highly motivated and experienced female operative both CP and Surveillence training T – 07596542249 W - www.amandacampbell.org.uk E - ac@amandacampbell.org.uk Alex Morgan - Close Protection Officer I am a hardworking, enthusiastic and committed person. Adaptable and driven, I have great attention to detail and high standards. I am honest, reliable, friendly and work well as part of a team as well as on my own initiative. I am also a good listener who has the ability to communicate with people at all levels. I am comfortable, both taking and issuing direction. I am looking for the opportunity to apply and expand my skills. E: adsmorgan74@gmail.com T: 07775 636964 Ambassador Security Management ASM MK Lions Arena, Grafton Court, Snowden Drive, Winterhill, Milton Keynes, MK6 1AJ, GBR. After successfully gaining ACS (Door Supervision and Manned Guarding) along

with ISO 9000, we here at ASM have a dedicated management team with hundreds of years combined experience in the security industry. W: www.asmsecurity.co.uk E: scott@asmsecurity.com T: 08458335750 Amber Security and Protection United Kingdom At Amber Security and Protection Ltd we pride ourselves on providing a bespoke and tailored Close Protection, Residential Security, World Class Travel Security and Risk Management service to all our National and International clients. The Directors and Senior Operators are former military, law enforcement or special forces personnel who are fully operational SIA licensed close protection operatives who have over 40 years experience in both the military and civilian private security sectors. E: info@ambersecurityandprotection. com T: 07425868014 (07540392093) W: https://ambersecurityandprotection. com Ark Personal and Asset Protection Ark, 2b Crow Lane, Rochester, Kent, ME11RF, GBR A small, efficient, highly descrete company employing ex special forces and detectives for all civil and corporate covert needs. E: Office@arkprotect.com T: +0044 01634 845526 Argus Europe County Durham Argus Europe has been providing specialist training for high-net worth clients and their families for close to 20 years, worldwide. Argus Europe now offer accredited training for CPO’s, Surveillance Operators and Private detectives. Argus Europe is an operational company working globally with an extensive variety of contracts. W: www.arguseurope.co.uk T: +44 (0) 8456 123 843 Atlantian Business Solutions Group Rutland, LE15 6SD, GBR

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Atlantian Business Solutions has been designed to help both individuals and New Companies build for the future as well as support others with training needs. T: 07725970954 W: www.atlantianbsgroup.com E: info@atlantianbsgroup.com Briareus Security Our aim is to give a complete, discreet and professional service to all of our clients, be they large corporations, small businesses, local authorities or private individuals, all tailored to meet their individual needs. W: www.briareussecurity.com E: info@briareussecurity.com Mark Corder - Chief Executive of Carmdale Ltd Suite 3 219 Bow Road London E3 2SJ Mark is a former Senior Police Officer specialising in counterterrorism; firearms; public order; training and also physical, Critical National Infrastructure and nuclear security, having had responsibility for the security of the UK’s nuclear deterrent. A former Head of Operations, Operational Support and Training, Mark has been involved in a number large-scale incidents (including 7/7) and has also worked at the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT) at the Home Office as part of a review into Critical National Infrastructure security. Mark has an MBA via the OU. E: mark.corder@carmdale.co.uk T: +44 (0)844 995 9900 W: www.carmdale.co.uk Alastair Christie Advice on site security, perimeter fencing, lighting, CCTV and manning requirements. Monitor and advise on guard force setting up site procedures and guard SOP’s. T : +44 (0)7736 328112 E : ally.c9496@yahoo.co.uk Callum Barrie Experienced Dog Handler since July 2020 and Security Industry experience of over 6 years. I have 2 working dogs, 1 Belgian Malinois (3 years) and 1 German Shepherd (1 year) available to work immediately. I have a current Close Protection Badge and Door Supervisor Badge. I am NASDU Level 2 Qualified. I have Public Liability Insurance and my own vehicle. Seeking employment immediately in Wales M: 07580405745 Control Risk Management Solutions - CRMS - Ireland Executive Close Protection Operations & Training (B Tec Level 3 Diploma Edexcel) Threat & Risk Assessments, Consultancy Services. W: www.crmsinternational.com E: martin@crmsinternational.com Cosain Consultancy Ltd Cosain has over 25 years of experience within the media safety and executive protection industry and has a network of trusted relationships with global media companies across the globe. Our

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services include crisis management, risk assessment, ground truth, rapid deployment and bespoke training for our clients. We deliver the only Media Safety Advisor Training course available today that is based on extensive, operational experience, preparing the attendees for the varied and challenging demands of media safety. W: www.cosainconsultancy.com E: info@cosainconsultancy.com T: +44 7859 040 807 Crest Security & Surveillance Ltd 51 The Crest, West Heath, Birmingham, West Mids, B31 3QA, GBR Highly experienced Security Consultant with a proven record of accomplishment in the field of protective security. Skilled in all phases of risk assessment, operational planning, logistical organisation, implementation of security measures, security team leadership, project coordination, and delivery of security advice to a high profile clientele. E: info@stephencahill.co.uk T: 447977071427 CSI Protection Ltd International, GBR A well established security consultant and personal protection operative providing high or low Key protection to high risk and prestigious clientele. Specialising in the maritime industry as a consultant for private vessel protection on super yachts world wide. W: www.csi-protection.co.uk E: gary@csi-protection.co.uk Custodia Custodia is an independent client focused Specialist Security & Risk Management Company, specialising in Risk consultancy and Security project management. Providing a comprehensive portfolio of Risk mitigation solutions to assist Businesses and individuals to plan for, manage and mitigate risk. T: 01432 277693 W: www.custodia.co.uk Daniel Gentry Close Protection Operative I am a former RAF Regiment Gunner with 8 years experience, including various command roles and operational tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. My previous role as a behaviour specialist saw me de-escalating potentially dangerous situations on a daily basis. These two jobs combined have put me in a position where I am now very effective at managing not only a variety of situations but also a variety of different people, often from very diverse cultures. E: dangentry@hotmail.co.uk T: 07445181281 DF Risk Management Solutions DF Risk Management Solutions N.I. is a modern, professional risk management company, with a diverse range of global strategic experiences and a team of executives who possess dynamic but complementary backgrounds. T: +44 (0)7837642686 +44 (0)7758743918 W: www.dfriskmanagementsolutionsni.com

CLASSIFIEDS Executive Protection Officer Worldwide CP services W: www.executiveprotectionofficer.com

E : info@kingcobrasecurity.co.uk T: 0330 223 5099 W: www.kingcobrasecurity.co.uk

First Class Executive Security Nottingham, UK, Nottingham based, full-service company specializing in Bodyguards and Security Consulting services. Extensive experience in VIP security, also caters for public and private sectors. W: www.firstclasssecurity.co.uk T: 0115 9266466

International Centre of Special Training International Centre of Special Training is an international training and security company based in the United Kingdom. Its priority objective is to provide services to the highest level. W: www.icost-team.com T: +44 796 736 55 65

G6 Global G6 are specialists in all types of radio, telephony and satellite communications for both voice and data with particular emphasis on covert communications installations in both vehicles and fixed locations. In addition, our range of personal covert radios and bespoke accessories is extensive. W: info@g6-global.com T: +44 (0)1454 610050

IPSS Security Northfield, Aberdeen, AB16 7EX Security and protection services - UK and overseas. BBA Member. T: + 44 (0) 1224 69455 W: www.ippssecurity.co.uk

Gordon Russell Highly trained frontline Close Protection Operatives available for UK and International contracts. Our experienced CPO’s can offer bespoke packages to meet all clients needs, including a variety of language skills. All SIA licenced, BBA member E: Bodyguard-cpo@Email.cz T: +44 (0)7917 281 004 Gareth Evans - CPO, MSO Reliable dedicated hard-working security professional, with outstanding communication skills. Strategic approach to problem solving combined with exceptional interpersonal skills, quick to grasp new concepts and information. Highly motivated, results-driven and thrives under pressure. Strong leadership and management skills with proven experience committed to continuous personal and professional development. E : evansgareth1979@yahoo.co.uk T : +44 (0)7900058603 James Izett All close protection task undertaken, including training tasks. Medic (Registered with the HPCSA, Registered FAAW instructor and Assessor E : J.Izett@gmail.com T : +971 (0)505 574 350 Janice Gurney Proficient and diligent Security Professional gaining extensive knowledge and experience within the security sector. Proactive individual who has a logical, flexible and conscientious approach to all challenges undertaken, ability to work as a member of a team or as an individual willing to work anywhere. T : +44 (0)7885 793061 E : janice382006@gmail.com King Cobra Security Ltd King Cobra Security are a Milton Keynes based company, incorporating Certificated Enforcement Agents, Security and Surveillance officers carrying services for the Domestic & Corporate Sector. Being one of Milton Keynes leading and vibrant companies not scared by trying new technologies sets us out from the rest. We are capable of tasking agents throughout the UK & Internationally when required.

ISS Training Ltd Riverside Cottages, Nidd Walk, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, HG3 5NA ISS Training Limited are providers of specialist covert surveillance training courses and publications to the security and investigative industries, enforcement agencies and specialist military units. Formed in 1990, we are the longest established surveillance training ompany in the United Kingdom. Our credibility and reputation is widespread and we offer nationally recognised qualifications. BBA Member. T: + 44 (0) 1423 712265 W: www.intelsecurity.co.uk Jason Morris Security Hertfordshire, UK Providing a wide range of Door supervision/security for V.I.P and prestige venues, Concerts, Functions, Corporate and Personal Security, Weddings, Private Parties, Gala Dinners, Business Awards & School Proms, Close Protection and Body Guarding Static Guarding and Stewards. T: 01462 478900 W: www.jasonmorrissecurity.co.uk E: agosselin@jasonmorrissecurity.co.uk John Featherstone Security professional with operational experience gained in a variety of theatres. Main specialities close protection and surveillance. T: 24hrs : +44 (0)7702 740722 E: john@johnfeatherstone.co.uk W: www.johnfeatherstone.co.uk K9 Support Services Ltd K9 Support Services UK Ltd is a supplier of specialist drugs and explosives dog/ handler detection service (which includes arms & ammunition) to individuals, businesses, and the public sector. T: 0845 643 6393 E: info@k9support.org.uk Logas International Tyne & Wear, SR1, GBR Front line SIA, International CPO. Private Investigation and Surveillance operator. E: wscarr@logasinternational.com

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Adam McErlane Close Protection & Client Management A qualified/licenced close protection operative and live events technician from the UK. • 12+ years of experience operating within the live events sector as on operational technician/engineer (Touring & In-House) • Extensive knowledge of the operational procedures, security protocols & logistical processes of large tours and venues. • Personal protection/client management experience (unlicensed) for a high net-worth individuals. Personal Qualities - • Determined, motivated & hard working. • Punctual and reliable. • Able to work independently & as part of a team • High ethical & moral standing. • Act quickly and decisively when required. • Working knowledge of defensive tactics in hostile situations. • Patient & Tolerant in stressful situations with others. • Rudimentary understanding of the Spanish languages. • Effective communicator with a diplomatic approach. • Very resourceful & able to find solutions to complex problems. • Possess good foresight & vigilance. • Years of experience working long & unsociable hours. • Physically fit & Healthy E: adammcerlane1989@outlook.com T: +44 7751953009 Michael Boreland Close Protection Officer Since leaving the British Army in 2006 I have been working in hostile environments for private security companies in various roles ranging from Training & Close protection. I have successfully managed a training wing in Afghanistan providing security operations training for local nationals & Expats conducting operations in the region I believe with my skills and experience of the employment I have done in the past I would be an asset to any organisation taking myself on as an employee. mike.boreland@gmail.com Marcin Gebler Close Protection Officer I have experience with work as an armed security officer, an armed security guard at army unit and army airport, an armed officer responsible for searching and identifying explosive devices, an armed CP in Poland. I have experience with work as a mobile patrol security officer and static security guard in UK. I have experience with work as a security officer at hotels, production sites, private households in UK. I am SIA CP and DS licensed. First Aid at Work Level 3 completed in 2020. Firearms Training Course Combat Pistol 1 for CPOs Shockfire in Poland 2020. E: p.i.gebler@gmail.com T: + 44 07799907528 MLK Security and Protection Services Swindon, UK Close Protection Officer and Door Supervisor E: mattleekane@hotmail.com T: 07917654978

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LJE Security Services North Yorkshire, HG1, GBR Close Protection, Residential Security, Asset Protection, VIP red carpet Security and Private Investigation. E: leanneedmondson@yahoo.co.uk Oliver Mike Close Protection Operative I came from Hungary and live in the Uk in London since 2014. I was a Police Officer for 23 years as a CounterTerrorism Specialist. Next to the police I became a Close Protection Operative and self-defense instructor (Krav Maga). I was a member of the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF). During my service I have been protecting Hungarian Prime Ministers, Interior Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Ambassador of Israel and other politicians of other countries. E: info@formerpol.com T: +447413190349 W: www.formerpol.com One Events Grantham One Events offers you a stress free solution in the organisation, putting together and running of an event. Thisis accomplished by having a group of specialised companies from different industries working together for a more complete service for you. TEL: 0870 974 6779 W: www.oneevents.info Paul Lovatt – CPO After serving 15 year in the Army a move to the Security Industry was a natural step, during the last 10 years I have worked in almost every role in the industry from Door Supervisor and loss prevention to Operations Manager and Director. I have been responsible for the creation and implementation of highly successful crime reduction schemes across Yorkshire working closely with other agencies in the areas of responsibility. Currently I am responsible for the overall running of large events security teams from stewards to Close Protection Officers. Operational planning, contingency planning and flexibility are I feel among my key strengths. E : paul@deltasecurity-eventmanagement.co.uk T : +44 (0)7506726336 Paul Tyler – VIP Protection & Concierge Specialist in discreet personal protection & surveillance. A good current working knowledge of London & its challenges gained through ongoing high risk security operations. Experienced in dealing with high net worth clients with all matters security & concierge striving go the extra mile to exceed expectations through thorough planning & interaction with all involved parties. A strong communicator with a smart appearance who remains synonymous with the principals lifestyle, whilst discretely ensuring a safe environment is maintained at all times, physically capable of adopting a higher profile when required to do so. Demonstrates sound judgement and capability to operate with great levels of

CLASSIFIEDS autonomy. Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to understand, interact & connect with a diverse range of people. E : paul@apparitio.co.uk T : +44 (0)7552515604 W : www.apparitio.co.uk Peter Jenkins Peter Jenkins is the director of surveillance training company ISS Training Ltd. He has been managing his own commercial and corporate investigation business in Yorkshire for the past 25 years. Previous to this, Peter spent 12 years in the Royal Marines where he specialised in various roles which included reconnaissance, intelligence, counter terrorism and instructing. He continues to carry out surveillance work on a regular basis and regularly instructs on surveillance training courses internationally. E: info@intelsecurity.co.uk W: www.intelsecurity.co.uk Roystan Powell Security Consultant/Close Protection Operative I have been in the security industry for 20yrs, my first experience being in the HM Forces back in 2002, during my time in the industry I have gained vast experience, professionalism, integrity, values and work ethic. I have been involved in many details and conducted TL duties, risk assessments, risk management, management and consultancy. I hope my brief introduction is of interest. Kind regards Roy E: roystanlcp@gmail.com Plymouth Close Protection Highly versatile, physically fit and accomplished security professional with cumulative experience in the areas of security management, close protection, crisis management, risk assessment, emergency management, asset protection and security training. E : chris@plymouthcp.co.uk W : www.plymouthcp.co.uk T : +44 (0)1752 500807 PPSS Group Body armour and stab vests provide a functional solution to individuals who require extra protection in their chosen vocation. All PPSS (formerly ASEO) body armour and stab vests are certified by the UK’s Home Office (HOSDB) and offer unrivalled protection from blunt trauma caused by a punch, blow or kick. Based on our professional frontline experience and extensive research we can confirm that an impact based assault is a more likely event than an attack involving an edged weapon or firearm. T: +44 (0) 845 5193 953 F: +44 (0) 1765 603 512 E: info@ppss-group.com W: www.ppss-group.com Presence Security Presence Security (“ PS ”) is a bespoke security company providing protection for private individuals and VIPs, as well

as security services for businesses and organizations. T: 0800 002 9734 E: info@presencesecurity.co.uk Prestige Risks LTD 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N, 3AX, GBR. Close Protection Secure Chauffeurs Surveillance Residential Security Executive Protection Security Guards Asset T : +44 (0)207 5588182 E : info@prestigerisks.com W : www.prestigerisks.com Prometheus Medical Ltd Prometheus deliver unrivalled bespoke emergency medical support in the form of specialist equipment, training, strategic advice and deployed clinical care. T: (+44) 1568 613942 W: www.prometheusmedical.co.uk Prosec Consultancy Ltd 10 Oakfield business park Westbury, BA13 4WF. Prosec Consultancy Limited are dedicated in providing a professional service, which covers a whole range of security services throughout the security industry. T: 01373 228055 W: www.prosec-ltd.co E: info@prosec-ltd.com ProTouch Security ProTouch Security is one of the UK’s key providers of event safety, event security, crowd management, door supervisors, stewards, event management and health and safety. T: 01724 279 522 W: www.protouchsecurity.co.uk Python Security and Protection Ltd Providing Close Protection Officers and Door Supervisors for Events and Venue Security. E : mattleekane@hotmail.com Radoslav Savkov - CPO / Security Consultant Oxford - United Kingdom I would introduce myself as a high calibre Security professional with strong customer oriented skills and managerial experience in the Security Industry, interested in a challenging position, which would fully utilize competences gained and provides opportunities for professional and personal development. With 15 + years of international experience in the sector at all levels and a military background (National Service) as well as a practical Close Protection experience in an executive environment, corporate intelligence and investigations. As a Security professional, I never consider my training and development as a complete, therefore I always look to update further my skills and knowledge. In personal plan I am very loyal, discreet , independent and willing to

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 embrace challenges. E: r.savkov@gmail.com T: +44 (0)7886591525

E: sw@shaunwest.co.uk T: +44 (0)7830 109 601 W: www.shaunwest.co.uk

RSM Security UK Ltd London, UK RSM Security UK Ltd offers the experience and expertise necessary to provide security personnel of the highest calibre when you need them. T: 07850091979 or 07792948523 W: www.rsmsecurity.co.uk E: info@rsmsecurity.co.uk RWSSI Rob W is a professional security consultant with world wide experience and capabilities in Security, Surveillance and Investigation; I can support you to overcome any problems and enable you to achieve your goals E: rob@rwssi.co.uk T: +44 (0)7818 220985

Steve Pittman - Security Manager of Operations I have been active in the security industry for over 25 years in various roles including close protection where I have been responsiblefor the the welfare of high net worth individuals in low and high risk situations . I have also a vast amount of experience in many other areas of there security industry including Door Supervision, Security Management, Event Security, and Residential Security. I have recently finished a diploma in Private Investigations and am a member of UKPIN. E: steve@covert protection.com T: 07818800778 W: Company Website: https://covertprotection.com

SDS Solutions SDS solutions provide our clients with protective solutions that are second to none, our consultants will discuss every aspect of the problems that you are facing that dictate the need for a protective solution, we promise our clients a tailor made service to meet individual requirements. Whether based in the UK or abroad our protective service T: 01453 887815 E: info@sds-solutions.org Stephen OCallaghan Founder & Managing Director Strategically oriented Close Protection Security Specialist with a proven track record for providing effective leadership and exceeding performance objectives. Has been responsible for implementation of security standards in hostile and non-hostile job roles, security awareness and education, coordination of sensitive investigations, analysis of emerging industry trends and threats and the evaluation of overall team effectiveness. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships within a team, whilst at all times keeping the main objective and security needs at the fore front. E: enquiries@protegimusprotection.com T: +44 7306395194 W: www.protegimusprotection.com Shadow Close Protection A leading company specializing in Executive Protection as a professional sector, with participation in high and low risk missions, providing global security solutions and consultancy to individuals, corporations and national agencies worldwide. W: www.shadowcp.gr E: info@shadowcp.gr T: + 30 6948539664 Shaun West United Kingdom SIA licensed, Highly Experienced Frontline CPO. Ronin SA trained. Providing security for both corporate and hostile environments.

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Mark Claydon-Smith – CP Team Leader and Medic I have spent 13 years in the Royal Navy Culminating in the rank of SNCO Petty Officer. In 2004 I started my security career and have worked in Hostile environments. I have held several positions including Operations Manager, Team Leader and Rig Site Manager. I have worked in Kurdistan, Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the UK and Europe. E : mark@claydon-smith.com T : +964 (0)7815 970433 Philip Shearman MSyl – CPO, Risk Manager A professionally Qualified Close Protection and Surveillance Operator and Team Leader with over twenty two years of experience gained in the Military Police, the last fifteen of which were spent with the Military Police Close Protection Unit, working in various hostile countries throughout the world. Since leaving the Army in Nov 06 I have worked in the Private Security sector. I have gained valuable experience in demanding and challenging operational environments, where I have proved to be a self motivated and resourceful individual, performing well under pressure, communicating effectively at all levels whilst exercising tact, diplomacy and integrity. E : benshearman10@hotmail.com T : +44 (0)7930 277586 Spotllght Protection Services Essex based business which provides a broad and growing range of security services to businesses and organisations large and small. T: 07870560208 E: info@spotlightprotectionservices.co.uk W: www.spotlightprotectionservices.co.uk Vas Sotiropoulos London, UK I am a security operator with over nineteen years of experience in close protection, counter-surveillance, diplomatic protection, door supervision, and CCTV monitoring in the United Kingdom and Greece. Second Lieutenant in the elite of the Hellenic Army, the Special Forces. Undertaken a number of close protection courses run by the Greek Ministry of Defence, the VIP Protection Unit

CLASSIFIEDS of the Hellenic Police, and the Surveillance Department of the US Embassy in Athens. Highly motivated and confident relocated to the UK for further career progression and to install my own footprint in the private security sector. Fully licensed Close Protection Officer by the British Security Industry Authority. E: info@spartanelitesecurity.co.uk T 02038882020 W: https://spartanelitesecurity.co.uk VIPA Tactical Training A specialist training academy dealing with four specific areas of combat: VIPA Civilian Self Protection Program, VIPA Close Protection Combat System, VIPA Police Defence Tactics and VIPA Military Close Quarter Combat. BBA Member. W: www.VIPAtacticaltraining.com Wagtail UK Wales, UK Wagtail UK are international specialists in detection dogs and dog handler training. Established in 2003, Wagtail UK provides detection dogs and related services for government agencies such as UK Border Force, HM Revenue & Customs, Police, Trading Standards and Armed Forces. Wagtail International School of Excellence in North Wales is a fully approved training centre endorsed by Highfield Awarding Body for Certification. T: +44(0)1745 561166 E: info@wagtailuk.com W: http://www.wagtailuk.com Westminster Security Ltd London, UK Westminster Security Ltd are an independent, industry leading private security company in London; providing security and investigation services throughout the UK, EU and worldwide for our clients. We specialise in close protection services; providing ex-military and police bodyguards to many national and international companies, heads of state, royalty, high-profile personalities, CEO's, private individuals and families. T: +44 (0)207 123 4544 E: Info@westminstersecurity.co.uk W: www.westminstersecurity.co.uk Yoji Security We established Yoji Security in response to our perception of declining professional standards across the security industry. We strive to provide first class customer service in everything we do, drawing on our extensive experience in the fields of special operations, intelligence, counter terrorism and close protection. T : +44 7903231076 E : enquries@yojisecurity.com Europe & Africa International Security Academy P.O.Box 5833, Herzeliya, 46000, ISRAEL. zOur graduates are more recognized, respected and sought after by Distinguish Protection service “consumers” and by

most of the “Providers” of Protection services worldwide. Organisers of the 2008 International Summit of Protection Officers. BBA Member. T: + 972 9 950 0969 W: www.SecurityAcademy.org.il Javier Galan Spain - Security specialist available for operations around the world. E: oejju@hotmail.com T: 34.637080771 Military Grade Encryption Phones PO Box 52310, Limassol, CYPRUS Built-in encryption software which converts your voice to encrypted data using a constantly changing mathematical formula. It uses a dual layered RSA/AES combination and a changing session key which modifies the encryption algorithm every second. € 1,398.00 + VAT. All prices include new Nokia N73 phone. BBA Member. T: + 357 7777 7276 W: www.protechcy.com/new Nemesis Protection Ruma, Serbia Nemesis Protection is a Risk Management Company specialized in providing viable, bespoke, optimal, feasible and cost-effective security and training solutions for corporations, government institutions, and private clients worldwide. Nemesis Protection offers a full spectrum of services including Risk Advisory, Close Protection, Asset Protection, Security Driving, Surveillance & Private Investigation, Information Security, Transport Security, Staffing, and Specialist Security Training. T: 00381644679650 E: contact@nemesisprotection.com W: www.nemesisprotection.com TPT Firearms Training Bratislava , Slovakia and Rome , Italy We know from our extensive experience within the industry that it can be daunting when initially carrying a firearm and being responsible for protecting a clients life, but learning the proper techniques and having the ability to understand the weapon will make the job a lot easier and more enjoyable. Hopefully you will never have to use the weapons you carry, but should this prove necessary you will be confident and knowledgeable enough to handle the situation professionally and effectively. T : +44 (0) 7734101910 E : info@tacticalprotectionteam.co.uk W : www.tacticalprotectionteam.co.uk Security Concierge Group SCG Special Projects Ltd, Avenida, Bartolome Vicente Ramon No 10, B16, Ibiza, 07800, ESP Security Concierge Group is a privately owned and fully independent provider of exceptional security services to an interesting and varied range of clients. T: 00 34 600 665 275 W: www.securityconciergegroup.com E: joe.buckle@securityconciergegroup.com

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CIRCUIT MAGAZINE ISSUE 64 Wille Heino, Security Specialist, Owner Finland Gambeson is a security training & Consulting Company specialized in countering modern day threats. - Security & safety planning for different events. - Security training: Active shooter/Terrorism awareness/Surveillance detection/Other. Security consulting. We are specialized in executive protection related services. Local knowledge, trained and licensed close protection offers, mission support, other. E: wille.heino@gambeson.fi W: www.gambeson.fi Zero Click Limited For Risk Solutions First European training company for situational awareness training in Arabic & English For media crew, embassy staff, Journalists, VIP, sports teams and more. T: +48 513 757 201 W: www.zclick.pl E: info@zclick.pl Zika Rakita Managing Director Ruma 22400, Serbia Accomplished, result-driven, and highly motivated Close Protection Operative, conducting protective operations internationally. A background encompassing planning, organizing, leading, and undertaking Close Protection operations in both corporate fields and hostile environments. Proven in achieving results and completing tasks on time, discreetly, and to the highest standards. A confident communicator with the ability to sensitively solve a range of clients’ and colleagues’ problems and inquiries. With the ability to use sound judgment and understanding the operational balance and needs. E: contact@nemesisprotection.com T: 00381644679650 Americas Bodyguard Careers Bodyguard Careers is an informational site with the purpose of providing bodyguards with all the information and tools necessary to succeed in the Close Protection Industry Info@BodyguardCareers.com www.BodyguardCareers.com Canadian Use of Force Systems 7975 Yonge St. # 7124, Innisfil, ON, L9S 1L0, CANADA A professional Use of Force and Defensive. Tactics organization teaching a full range of controlled response options for Self-Protection and Use of Force considerations in public and professional environments. BBA Associate Member. T: + 1 705 456 4333 W: www.canadianuseofforce.com Contact Front Photography Contact Front Photography is the world’s 1st photography

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studio dedicated to the Close Protection Professional. Stop putting generic or pirated photos on your website; instead commission custom shots to best represent you or your agency. T: +1 (612) 369-6134 E: Info@ContractFrontPhotography.com W: www.ContactFrontPhotography.com Decisiones Estratégicas Buenos Aires – Argentina Executive protection specialists we have experienced in all Latin America, for multinationals companies, also providing support in project throughout Latin America to consulting first the US. and UK. We have a team of specialists and psychologists in assistance and crisis negotiation. T: +54(911) 6415 1941 E: jbenitez@d–estrategicas.com W: www.d–estrategicas.com Detective Lacerda P.O.BOX 25996, São Paulo, 05513-970, BRAZIL Providing the full range of security and investigation services throughout Latin America. BBA Member. T: + 55 (11) 3452 4388 W: www.detectivelacerda.cjb.net Giovanni Rossi South Africa Doctorates in Criminology, Vessel Security Officer, ASP Instructor, ISSPC Member, BBA Member, IAPPA Member, American Bodyguard and Protection Instructors Association Lifetime Member E: rossi1@mweb.co.za T: +2783 415 9205 Fernando Mata Mexico I started in the Protection of Officials as an infantryman in the Presidential Guards Corps, in the Mexican Army. Later, as a civilian, I certified in executive protection and took a diplomaed in personal protection. I have also taken intelligence, terrorism and counterterrorism courses and some refresher courses. I am currently participating in an Academy project for the professional training of Protection agents with international standards. E: matamfer@hotmail.com T: + 55 2126 6994 W: www.afeeg.mx USA Global Bear Protection PO Box 11488, Jackson, Wyoming, 83002, USA Provision of British and US Ex Special forces security/medical specialists. T: 307 413 3619 W: www.globalbearprotection.com E: bear@globalbearprotection.com

CLASSIFIEDS Icon Services Corporation 1043 Grand Ave. #312, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA A full service security and investigative agency specializing in providing high-level security and bodyguards to international celebrities, public figures and corporations. Licensed, bonded and insured, our diverse roster of clients reads as a virtual who’s who in the corporate, motion picture, fashion and recording industry. Icon has been the hand picked choice to provide Executive Protection to everyone from Superintendents to Supermodels. BBA Member. T: + 1 651 695 8778 W: www.Industry-Icon.com Imperial Protective Service, LLC 15849 N. 71st Street, Suite 100, Scottsdale , Arizona, 85254, USA Imperial Protective Service’ (IPS) is a security consulting and services firm founded in 1978. IPS provides both national and international corporate, executive and celebrity protective services. BBA Member. T: + 1 480 281 1588 W: www.executiveprotect.com Panther Protection Services 3695F Cascade Road, Suite 2207, Atlanta, GA 30331 Panther Protection Services is a full service protection agency offering such services as threat assessment, executive protection, self-defense training, firearms instruction, and high risk tactical protection. Our executive protection specialists have over 75 years of experience. Panther can handle your protection needs whether around the corner or around the world. Member: BBA and NABA T: (404) 349-9117 W: www.pantherprotectionservices.com Rouven Rohler - Security Consultant / HSE liaison - Romania I am a very fit and mentally robust Security Specialist with quality experience gained in the security (Military, Maritime and Commercial Operational Security (Oil& Gas). I have improved the effectiveness of protection teams and significantly enhanced clients’ awareness. My career commenced in the Australian Army, which included hostile environment deployments to Iraq and the Solomon Islands and I have since been operating on various contracts throughout Afghanistan and Iraq. E: rouven@y7mail.com T: +40 (0)746 642 739 SILVER STAR PROTECTION Executive protection, site and event security with global experience. Serving southern Minnesota with integrity and professionalism. Former USSS, ICON Alumni. available for domestic and international travel. Robert E. Jones Manager/CEO W: www.silver-star-protection.com E: rejones@silver-star-protection.com TSICS (T6) Miami, Florida, USA TSICS (T6) provides the following services in Central America: Executive Protection, Individual Bodyguard, Close Protection Training, Corporate Invest.

W: www.security-professionals.org/members/saldrix E: tsics.t6@gmail.com T: +502 6645 6822 Tony Scotti’s Vehicle Dynamics Institute 1162 St. Georges Ave, Suite 277 , Avenel, NJ 07001, USA The first name in advanced driver training, offering our highly acclaimed Protective/Evasive Driving Programs. Designed specifically for today’s executive chauffeurs, executive protection professionals and others who are responsible for providing safe and secure transportation services. BBA Member. T: + 1 732 738 5221 W: www.vehicledynamics.net Vindex Personal Protection & Investigation Inc. 497 Hooksett Rd #365 Manchester NH 03104 603.289.3161 / Full service Private Investigations & Executive Protection. 10 years combined Law Enforcement, Private security, close protection work, & security contracting. NY Mayors, U.S. President’s, NFL owners, and VIP’s are some of the protection work I’ve gained experience with. ICON alumni, NABA member. T: + 1 732 738 5221 E: vindexinc@aol.com W: www.vindexinc.com New Zealand Security Investigations & Risk Solutions LTD We are dedicated to providing professional and effective security solutions for your personal or business security requirements. S.I.R.S is one of the only security companies in New Zealand with ISO 9001 and ISO 18788 Running the most advanced security management system Track-Force to help S.I.R.S security operations with real-time reporting and lone worker technology. With a combination of Military and Security industry experienced staff. We offer high-quality security services and industry recognised training programs with international qualifications in Close Protection, Bodyguards, Maritime Security, Hostile Environment, Firearms Training, Door Supervision, Private Investigations, Surveillance, CCTV Operations, Event Security, Mobile Patrols and Static Guards. S.I.R.S has the expertise and flexibility to meet a wide variety of client needs. E: lee@sirs.org.nz T: 02040787549 W: www.sirs.org.nz Asia - Middle East - UAE Krav Maga Middle East DMCC First established training company for the military self-defense and fighting system developed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces in UAE since 2018. T: +971 50 343 1832 W: www.kravmagamiddleast.com E: info@kravmagamiddleast.com

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Life can be testing, no matter what you fight. - Keep Fighting.

FOP is for you, whether you wear uniform, a suit, or gym kit. 128

ISSUE 64

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THE TEAM: UK Editor: Shaun West US Editor: Elijah Shaw

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Neil M Davis James Bore Mark “Six” James Denida Grow Chris Grow Andy Wilson Krisztian Zerkowitz Hector Robles Andrew Hoffmann Ben Kunde Zeke Cooper Orlando Wilson Dale L. June Elijah Shaw

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