Learning To Drive: How NATO Bodyguards Save Lives

Bodyguards who are part of NATO’s Close Protection Unit have been giving an insight into their work.

Members of the elite Close Protection Unit for the alliance's Secretary General undergo intensive training and an advanced driving skills workshop.

One officer has described how their advanced driving skills protect him when he is on the road.

"Our setup is a defensive setup. We will only act towards an aggressive action towards one of our cars.

"We won’t use the cars as an offensive weapon, if it becomes a weapon for us then it will stop an attacking car to drive it from the road if necessary.

“You just need to be constantly aware of what’s going on around you.

"We get the teams together to train in this case once a year – intensive period of driving skills where we push the agents through a programme where they can use scrapyard cars and be put in scenarios as realistic as possible.

“To make sure that all the close protection agents keep at a certain level of performance, to bring up their driving skills so when they are driving around with the Secretary General, they feel more comfortable handling the cars.”