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<ul class="summary-list"><li>More executives are seeking protection, a private security firm chief told The Financial Times.</li><li>It comes as companies and CEOs are targeted by political activists.</li></ul>An increasing number of companies appear to be spending big money on trying to keep their executives safe by hiring bodyguards.Steve Jones, the chief executive of security company Allied Universal, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/a65d8aa1-673e-4620-920c-ec6ac79a303a?accessToken=zwAGJie6Mt7gkdOmXYqhZz5GINOSDOxqx5owOg.MEQCIFxG6p3_3JZEkIK5308UilsiYLPn5KB6jHRgvCT46TWdAiBsUI83XeA3QZKWt8vwHDTuuncjhZPUUiMp568P7c_W8g&amp;sharetype=gift&amp;token=5d647de2-ea1b-4ae3-8d8e-50e552279923">The Financial Times </a>that global political instability had created increased demand for security services.His assessment seems in line with market trends. According to an October report by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/private-security-market-108283">Fortune Business Insights</a>, the global private security market is expected to grow from $247.75 billion in 2024 to $385.32 billion by 2032.Its largest and fastest-growing segment is "manned security," the broad category that includes executive protection.Jones told the FT that businesses linked to Israel and the defense and energy industries were most likely to hire extra security for their staff."We've got wars going on in certain parts of the world, we have elections, we have protests, we have social challenges, we have immigration challenges that face different countries around the world. It all creates a need for additional security," he said.In recent months, activists have targeted a number of high-profile companies and corporate events.In October, several Allianz Insurance buildings in the UK were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74871k7k73o">sprayed with red paint as part of a national protest by pro-Palestine activists. </a>The Palestine Action Group said it carried out the attacks to protest against Allianz's alleged links to an Israeli defense firm.In June, activists disrupted the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington, DC, to protest about a cloud services deal between Israel's government, Google, Project Nimbus, and Amazon.Meanwhile, climate protesters in Germany in August disrupted European flights after accessing air traffic control centers.Jones told the FT his company employs around 17,000 people, including former police and military personnel, to protect executives and their families. Allied Universal did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.Companies can spend millions to protect their CEOs. Meta, for instance, spent $23.4 million on Mark Zuckerberg's personal security in 2023, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://archive.is/Y3kdg#selection-1001.136-1001.422">Fortune.</a> Last year, Alphabet paid $6.8 million for Sundar Pichai's personal security.Last year, Alex Bomberg, chief executive of Intelligent Protection International, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/climate-activism-in-the-city-prompts-rise-in-bodyguard-demand-20230619">Financial News </a>that demand for executive security had doubled in 12 months."The role of a bodyguard is not just for security," he said. "You have someone who is highly trained in first aid, experienced in making dynamic risk decisions. It's not just some bloke in a suit."People don't realize how things can play out in the street," he added. "A CEO might go for an interview, and when they arrive, they get something thrown over them. It's not so much about them being robbed, although that's always a concern, but being doorstepped at home by protesters."According to Allied's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.worldsecurityreport.com/">World Security Report, </a>in 2022, companies lost more than $1 trillion in revenue due to physical security incidents.One in four publicly listed companies reported a drop in their value after a physical security incident over the last year, the report said.

CEOs are clamoring for bodyguards as the world feels more dangerous, a top security boss says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine has released a video it says shows North Korean troops in Russia.</li><li>The video was published by the Ukrainian government's Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security.</li></ul>A new <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/StratcomCentre/status/1847317531477844036">video</a> released by the Ukrainian government's Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security appears to show North Korean soldiers at a Russian military base.The center said the footage shows North Korean troops "being outfitted in Russian gear" at Russia's Sergievsky training ground "in preparation for deployment to Ukraine."Business Insider was unable to independently verify the footage.It comes after South Korea's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-to-send-thousands-troops-aid-russia-ukraine-2024">National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Friday</a> that thousands of North Korean troops were set to join Russian forces in Ukraine.The NIS said that North Korean soldiers were being transported from the North on Russian navy ships and that around 1,500 North Korean special forces troops were already in Russia.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a NATO press conference on Thursday that Ukraine had information that North Korea was preparing to send 10,000 troops to occupied areas of Ukraine."We've got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine on temporary occupied territories, and they are preparing on their land, 10,000 soldiers, but they didn't move them already to Ukraine or to Russia," he said.Speaking in Brussels on Friday, NATO chief Mark Rutte said: "Our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort.""Even if North Korea is not physically there at the battlefield, then still they are helping to fuel Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in every way they can," Rutte added.Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the US was "looking into" the claims."We can't confirm or corroborate those reports," he said on Thursday. "If true, that would demonstrate an increase in the cooperation between Russia and North Korea."Should North Korean troops' involvement in the conflict be confirmed, it would mark North Korea's first major involvement in a war since the Korean War in 1950-1953.

Video appears to show North Korean soldiers gearing up for Ukraine war at a Russian military training base

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump survived an apparent second assassination attempt after the Secret Service intervened.</li><li>Former agents say the department is short-staffed, leading to burnout that increases security risks.</li></ul>Incidents like Sunday's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-shots-fired-florida-golf-course-2024-9">apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump</a> show the Secret Service is stretched so thin due to short staffing that potential dangers are becoming increasingly hard to respond to adequately, two former agents told Business Insider.In a Monday press conference discussing the incident, the acting director of the Secret Service called for "some hard conversations with Congress."The former president was unharmed on Sunday after a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-ryan-wesley-routh-second-trump-assassination-attempt-suspect-2024-9">would-be shooter</a> hiding in the perimeter treeline of the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach was spotted and fired upon by a Secret Service agent. The suspect was able to flee the scene unharmed but, thanks to details from an eyewitness, was identified and detained by law enforcement shortly after the incident.On July 14, Trump faced a closer call when he was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-butler-pennsylvania-rally-secret-service-2024-7">wounded during a campaign rally</a> after a suspect perched upon a rooftop overlooking the event fired his rifle into the crowd. A rally attendee was killed, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-pennsylvania-rally-shooting-deaths-2024-7">two others were injured</a> in the shooting. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-was-thomas-matthew-crooks-the-trump-rally-shooter-2024-7">A Secret Service sniper killed the suspect</a> in the July incident.Kenneth Valentine, a former Secret Service Special Agent in Charge who served under three presidents, told Business Insider that security around the former president was ratcheted up after the July incident, and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-service-scrutiny-shooting-donald-trump-pennsylvania-rally-2024-7">Secret Service faced intense scrutiny</a> for failing to prevent the shooting. He said agents should have been on high alert, making Sunday's near-miss far too close for comfort."Did we not have time, or did we not have the assets and resources to sweep that wood line and post it with a police officer ahead of time?" Valentine said. "It seems to me like that would have been great business to do."<h2 id="ba0533fe-c6b9-48f7-857a-0616a5af5d15">Still doing Treasury business</h2>Valentine — as well as Jeffrey James, who spent 22 years in the Secret Service — told BI the agency has been struggling with staffing levels and adequate resources since it was rolled up under the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.The agency, founded in 1865, had previously been under the purview of the Department of the Treasury with a mission to combat counterfeiting. Though the Secret Service no longer reports to Treasury officials, its agents have maintained investigative assignments related to credit card fraud and cybercrime."I believe the Secret Service should give up all of that and just be the executive protection arm of DHS," James said. "If I was making decisions, I would push them to eliminate all their investigations, aside from investigating threats toward people under Secret Service protection."Instead, both Valentine and James said they believed the agents are stretched too thin, forced to work absurd amounts of overtime, and said there's an incredibly high rate of attrition in the field that the Secret Service can't keep up with. "We never hit a time in my career where we were fully staffed," James said. "We were always in a deficit because you're always playing from behind."In his experience, many agents left the Secret Service before their retirement, James said — a natural occurrence in any field if people decide the gig is not for them — "but we were such a small agency that it really became a detriment.""I will tell you we had people driving the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/president-car-limousine-photos-the-beast-2024-2">president's limousine</a> for enough hours in a day that if they drove a truck for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-exec-surprising-reason-low-income-shoppers-pay-for-plus-2024-9">Walmart</a>, they would be told to park the truck and not drive anymore," James said, adding that agents were on the road for so long it was no longer safe for them or their passengers.<h2 id="42735993-3767-428f-8a3b-230f5dc61ca5">Word from the top</h2>Valentine said that if you hear the top brass tell it, they'll talk about how the agency has been hiring at a rate exceeding all previous combined years."And it's like, well, yeah, that's true, but tell me about your attrition," Valentine said.Officers work long hours, including weekends and holidays, and forego personal time to take on the Sisyphean task of risking their lives to protect the country's highest-profile people. Salaries start at under $70,000 annually, according to a 2021 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2021-09/UD%202021%20Salary%20Schedule.pdf">pay scale.</a> When reached for comment, a representative for the Secret Service directed Business Insider to comments made by Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe during a press conference on Monday following the second <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-donald-trump-rally-shooting-pennsylvania-2024-7">security incident involving Trump</a>. In his remarks, Rowe indicated the Secret Service's leadership is aware of burnout among its agents."We have immediate needs. We have future needs, too," Rowe said, referring to counter-sniper training that the agency is petitioning Congress to approve. "We also have the need to make sure that we're getting the personnel that we have, and that requires us to be able to have the funding to be able to hire more people."Rowe added: "You can't just give me money and say, 'Hey, we're going to make sure that everybody gets overtime.' Because the men and women of the Secret Service right now, we are redlining them."According to agency <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.secretservice.gov/careers/paths#:~:text=The%20Secret%20Service%20employs%20approximately,professional%20and%20technical%20support%20personnel.">statistics</a>, the Secret Service employs about 3,600 special agents, including 1,600 uniformed division officers and roughly 2,000 administrative and support personnel. Of the Department of Homeland Security's $64.81 billion <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/committee-releases-fy25-homeland-security-appropriations-bill#:~:text=The%20Homeland%20Security%20Bill%20provides,Fiscal%20Year%202024%20enacted%20level.">total budget</a>, the Secret Service in 2024 was allotted <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/U.S.%20SECRET%20SERVICE_Remediated.pdf">$3.27 billion</a> — increasing less than $400,000 since 2022.Secret Service agents "are rising to this moment," Rowe said, but "We have to have it every day. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-service-training-zero-fail-mission-2024-7">We cannot have failures.</a> And in order to do that, we're going to have some hard conversations with Congress, and we're going to achieve that."

Burnout could be to blame for security failures around Trump, former Secret Service agents say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NATO is kicking off its annual "Steadfast Noon" nuclear exercise on Monday.</li><li>More than 60 aircraft, including nuclear-capable fighter jets, will take part.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nato">NATO</a> is set to launch its annual nuclear training exercise, "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_229447.htm?selectedLocale=en">Steadfast Noon,</a>" on Monday.The two-week exercise will see more than 60 aircraft, including nuclear-capable <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-pilots-break-down-f-35-vs-eurofighter-training-dogfight-2024-10">fighter jets</a>, take part in training flights in airspace over Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, and the North Sea.NATO runs the training exercise each October to ensure the readiness and effectiveness of the alliance's nuclear deterrent — which the alliance says is particularly important this year as Dutch F-35A fighter jets have been declared ready for nuclear roles.This year's event will bring together 2,000 military personnel from eight airbases and will see fighter jets, bombers, fighter escorts, refueling planes, and reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft take part. No live weapons will be involved.In a statement published ahead of the exercise, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stop-worrying-about-a-trump-presidency-says-nato-chief-rutte-2024-10">NATO's new Secretary General, Mark Rutte</a>, said nuclear deterrence was "the cornerstone of Allied security.""Steadfast Noon is an important test of the Alliance's nuclear deterrent and sends a clear message to any adversary that NATO will protect and defend all Allies," he added.Rutte was in London earlier this week for a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Speaking to reporters about "Steadfast Noon" on Thursday, Rutte said: "In an uncertain world, it is vital that we test our defense and that we strengthen our defense so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and is able to respond to any threat."In a post on X following their meeting, Zelenskyy said the trio had discussed "Euro-Atlantic integration and the military reinforcement of Ukraine."It comes just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-intensifies-nuclear-threats-west-hesitates-over-ukraine-weapons-2024-9">considering updating the country's nuclear doctrine</a> to state that a conventional attack on Russia by a country supported by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack.Business Insider has contacted NATO for comment.The UK's Royal Navy is also set to hold a major naval exercise from Monday."Exercise Strike Warrior" will take place from October 14 to 27 in waters to the north and east of the UK, with more than 20 ships and aircraft involved.The UK's 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, will lead a multinational naval task force of warships during the exercise.F-35B Lightning fighter jets are set to operate from the vessel.

NATO set to kick off nuclear exercise 'Steadfast Noon' on Monday as UK's Royal Navy also hosts major naval training

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pro-Russian Chechens are back on Ukraine's front lines, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said.</li><li>Chechen units, once mocked as "TikTok" troops, are now filling gaps left by the Wagner Group.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kadyrov-admits-difficulties-in-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022-5">Pro-Russian Chechens</a>, famed for their social media appearances, have been "pressed back into frontline service" in Ukraine, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.The MoD estimated in May that there were around 9,000 troops fighting in pro-Russian Chechen units in Ukraine.While some have been fighting in the country since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and the war in the Donbas began, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comic-sons-of-chechnya-ramzan-kadyrov-rise-to-power-2023-12">Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic</a>, dispatched extra fighters as Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.Chechen units faced heavy losses in the early stages of the conflict, with many sent to carry out rear and security operations, where they quickly picked up a reputation for their "social media antics," the MoD said.The troops' interest in social media appears to have been influenced by Kadyrov, who has been a prolific poster on several platforms, including Telegram and Instagram.But Chechen forces have found themselves back in the line of fire since the mercenary Wagner Group <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-putin-pentagon-wagner-mercenary-prigozhin-rcna94223">ceased carrying out any significant operations</a> on the front lines last year.The Wagner Group has been effectively disbanded over the last year since the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in August.Harold Chambers, an expert on Russia's North Caucasus regions, told Business Insider that with the dismantling of the Wagner group, Kadyrov's men (sometimes called Kadyrovtsy) were able to "step in" and fill that gap."They have also taken a couple ex-Wagner commanders," he said — including some who previously criticized the Kadyrovtsy for their cowardice.<h2 id="b2797f94-9fce-44ca-a837-7a2c853844e7">Some Russian soldiers receive just up to 10 days of training</h2>Besides providing personnel, Chechnya is also helping train Russian soldiers.The MoD said in May that the Russian Special Forces (Spetznaz) University in Gudermes, Chechnya, had trained around 42,000 Russian troops since 2022 — citing figures from Chechnya's leadership.The MoD said that trainees receive only up to 10 days of training at the university, "bringing the effectiveness of the training and institution into doubt."This shows the "desperation and resource strain within the Russian military," the MoD added.Chambers told BI that despite its status as a "cannon-fodder-production factory," the university remains "extremely important" for Kadyrov."Symbolically, it provides the basis for Kadyrov's contribution to the war effort," attracting "federal officials and foreign delegations," he said."Financially, it secures sizable new funds," he added.

Russia is using Chechen 'TikTok soldiers' on the front lines and to train its troops, highlighting the 'desperation' in its military: UK intel 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A recent drone attack on a Russian airbase left several military aircraft damaged and destroyed.</li><li>In response to strikes, Russia got hundreds of civilian volunteers to patrol the Kresty base.</li></ul>Looking for ways to defend an airbase where several military transport aircraft were damaged or destroyed in a drone attack last month, Russia is turning to civilian volunteers to patrol the area, likely because it lacks enough trained security personnel to do the job, according to Western intelligence.In late August, several drones struck the Kresty base, which is located in the northeastern Pskov region not far from Russia's border with Estonia but more than 400 miles from its border with Ukraine.The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-drone-strike-russian-transport-planes-airfield-2023-8">nighttime attack</a> destroyed two Ilyushin Il-76s — Soviet-era airlift planes that can move cargo and personnel — and damaged two more. Kyiv's military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, revealed several days later that the drones were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-airlift-planes-targeted-attack-launched-from-inside-russia-territory-2023-9">launched from within</a> Russia's own territory, although it remains unclear if it was carried out by the Ukrainian military or Russian partisans. The Kresty attack proved to be one of the more significant on Russia's internationally recognized territory since its forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, and the attack came amid a string of assaults <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-many-russia-planes-blown-up-in-base-exposes-gaps-defenses-2023-8">specifically targeting</a> Russian airfields. These incidents have exposed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ukraine-war-advanced-air-defenses-failed-drone-strikes-2023-9">serious shortcomings</a> in Moscow's force protection and air-defense capabilities, prompting it to seek alternative solutions to mitigate the problem — one of which is a newly constructed volunteer force. Britain's defense ministry wrote in a Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1700747345309159522">intelligence update</a> that Pskov's governor recently organized volunteer security patrols to prevent additional drone attacks on the Kresty base. As many as 800 citizens have signed up to join the patrols, which will include groups of 50 individuals divided into municipalities to patrol airports, airbases, and other infrastructure. <div type="image" title="A satellite image shows the air base in Pskov, after what Kyiv confirmed to have been a Ukrainian drone attack, in Russia, August 31, 2023." height="4125" width="5500" msid="103585750" hostid="261"></div>"The creation of these volunteer security patrols will likely act as a deterrence and provide a level of defence against quadcopter UAVs being operated from the immediate vicinity of the air base," Britain's defense ministry said.It's unclear if the patrols will be armed with any specific weapons or if they'll be acting purely in a surveillance role. "Historically it has proven difficult to destroy UAVs using small-arms fire, so Russian forces will still require air-defence systems, with a surveillance capability and both kinetic and electronic means of interception, to destroy attacking UAVs," Britain's defense ministry said, noting that "the use of volunteers highly likely indicates a shortage of trained security personnel within Russia" — the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-speech-partial-military-mobilization-draft-reservists-ukraine-war-2022-9">same issue</a> that has plagued Moscow's military throughout its war in Ukraine. The new measures to protect its bases underscore major deficiencies in Russia's domestic security and air-defense network. Moscow has prided itself for having layered and sophisticated defenses, and while these may be more capable when it comes to identifying bigger targets like missiles and aircraft, smaller drones have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ukraine-war-advanced-air-defenses-failed-drone-strikes-2023-9">managed to find gaps</a> in the network and overcome them. <div type="image" title="A plume of smoke is illuminated by a flash of light amid a drone attack in Pskov, Russia, in this still image obtained from social media video released August 30, 2023." height="1172" width="1563" msid="103585871" hostid="261"></div>August alone saw over two dozen drone attacks on Russian territory. Britain's defense ministry <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceHQPress/status/1697118071226294744">said</a> shortly after the Kresty incident that because these weapons have managed to reach their intended targets, it shows that Russia's air-defense network is likely having a hard time detecting and destroying the threats.In response, it said, Russia is likely "rethinking" its air-defense posture on its own territory and could be forced to consider adding more capabilities to defend its vulnerable bases. One remedy to these deficiencies has been the recent construction of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-reusing-old-air-defense-weapons-amid-ukraine-drone-attacks-2023-9">towers with guns</a> on top — copying a World War II-era system. Another action Russia has taken to seemingly defend vulnerable aircraft from potential aerial threats is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-using-tires-to-protect-bombers-from-ukraine-attack-report-2023-9">placing car tires</a> on the fuselages and wings of bombers. It's an unusual form of protection, although it's not the first time Russia has built a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-shielding-bombers-with-car-tires-latest-jury-rigged-defenses-2023-9">makeshift defense</a> to defend against strategic targets. Moscow purposefully <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-sink-ships-defenses-ukraine-naval-drone-crimea-bridge-2023-8">sank ships</a> near a key bridge in occupied Crimea to try and protect it from potential Ukrainian sea drone attacks. <div type="image" title="An Ilyushin Il-76 Strategic airlifter performs during 76th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia on May 09, 2021." height="3648" width="5472" msid="103585873" hostid="261"></div>As Ukraine continues to ramp up its drone attacks on Russian territory, Moscow has been working to expand its arsenal of drones. It recently begun <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-making-own-versions-iranian-attack-drones-2023-8">producing</a> its own version of the Iranian-made <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iranian-suicide-kamikaze-drones-russia-uses-ukraine-cities-explainer-2022-10">Shahed-136</a>, which are explosive loitering munitions that the Kremlin has relied on for a year to terrorize Ukrainian cities and damage civilian infrastructure. As it increases the number of drones it possesses, Russia is expected to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-expanding-drone-arsenal-attacks-ukraine-likely-get-bigger-2023-8">stage larger attacks</a> on military and civilian targets across Ukraine in the near future, experts told Insider. This could pose a major headache for Ukraine's own air-defense network, although US officials have asserted that the Biden administration will continue to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukraine-german-gepard-anti-aircraft-guns-blast-russian-drones-2023-9">prioritize</a> additional capabilities to help meet the threat. Other NATO partners have indicated the same.Indeed, last week alone the Pentagon announced two separate security assistance packages for Ukraine that include equipment to support and sustain Kyiv's air-defense capabilities.

Russia is getting hundreds of volunteers to protect its vulnerable planes from attacks, likely because it lacks enough trained security teams, intel says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China has been recruiting current and former Western military personnel to train its aviators. </li><li>Beijing has been targeting them for recruitment in an effort to overcome shortcomings.</li></ul>China is "aggressively recruiting" Western military personnel to train its air force pilots and naval aviators, attempting to lure them in with "lucrative" contracts and promises of opportunities to fly "exotic aircraft," the US and its allies are warning.The Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — which consists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — posted a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/products/Safeguarding_Our_Military_Expertise.pdf">bulletin</a> Wednesday detailing China's ongoing efforts to recruit current and former military personnel from NATO and Western countries to "bolster" the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army.In recent years, China has taken significant steps to build up its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-air-force-far-from-ready-for-mission-taiwan-2024-1">air force and navy</a>, much to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-building-military-scale-not-seen-wwii-invade-taiwan-aquilino-2024-3">alarm of US officials</a>. However, Beijing still has some critical capability gaps as it looks to modernize its forces and strengthen its aviation programs.Those weak points have led it to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-looks-for-western-pilots-to-aid-its-military-aviation-2023-6">seek technology and assistance</a> from the West through malign actions."To overcome their shortcomings," the Chinese military "has been aggressively recruiting Western military talent to train their aviators, using private firms around the globe that conceal their PLA ties and offer recruits exorbitant salaries," said Michael Casey, the director of the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center.<div type="image" title="China J-20 fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="110744954" hostid="261" sizebytes="44972"></div>"Recent actions by Western governments have impacted these operations," Casey said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dni.gov/index.php/ncsc-newsroom/3832-fvey-partners-warn-of-evolving-efforts-to-recruit-current-and-former-western-service-members-to-bolster-the-prc-s-military">statement</a>, "but PLA recruitment efforts continue to evolve in response."Chinese schemes target Western pilots, flight engineers, air operations center personnel, and technical experts knowledgeable about military tactics, techniques, and procedures.The Chinese military "wants the skills and expertise of these individuals to make its own military air operations more capable while gaining insight into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures," the newly released bulletin said."The insight the PLA gains from Western military talent threatens the safety of the targeted recruits, their fellow service members, and US and allied security," it added.Insight into Western tactics, techniques, and procedures could prove valuable for China were it to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/huge-air-battles-show-us-needs-most-missile-war-china-2024-5">clash with US forces</a>, a very real possibility as US military and political leaders in Washington look across the Pacific with concern over Beijing's growing military power.<div type="image" title="China J-20 stealth fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="110744956" hostid="261" sizebytes="105900"></div>The bulletin said the Western service members are targeted through "nefarious recruitment attempts" that may not be overtly obvious; for instance, these individuals may be sought out directly by the PLA or indirectly through online networking sites.Job offers, meanwhile, could come from private companies with hidden ties to the PLA. And opportunities may be located in China or elsewhere in other parts of the world, the bulletin said, "with lucrative contracts and the opportunity to fly exotic aircraft, with vague details on the ultimate customers."Countries like the US and UK have previously expressed their concerns over the PLA recruitment efforts, warning of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2023SAF/PolicyUpdates/PLA_Recruitment_Efforts_Memo.pdf">potential national security risks</a> and taking steps to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63293582">try to curb and control the threat</a>. There have been arrests related to these activities already, such as the 2022 arrest of a former US Marine Corps pilot.Despite efforts from Western governments to warn its veterans and military personnel about the Chinese poaching efforts, the recruitment continues to evolve, the bulletin noted. Casey said the latest warning is meant to highlight this "persistent threat" and deter current and former service members from participating in the scheme.

China is trying to overcome weaknesses in its military by 'aggressively recruiting' Western pilots to train its aviators, Five Eyes intel allies warn

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukrainian soldiers report inconsistent training and combat abilities in Russian troops.</li><li>Russia's strategy in Avdiivka apparently included alternating waves of trained and untrained forces.</li></ul>Ukrainian soldiers said that the Russians were inconsistent in their training and combat abilities during their capture of Avdiivka in February, which war experts suggest is telling about their tactics.Members of Ukraine's military <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/02/ukraine-avdiivka-retreat-russia-advance/">told</a> The Washington Post that a quarter of Russia's troops seemed "just confused" and that the army's equipment lined up with the varying skill levels."There were some with little more than uniforms and basic rifles while others had more advanced equipment," the Post wrote, relying on descriptions from Shved, a Ukrainian marksman who said the Russians weren't "really consistent."Another soldier observed that at one point, the Russians were sending waves of inexperienced, older soldiers with minimal equipment to fight at least three times a day, every day.Shultz, a soldier in Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade, also detailed how the Russians were coming in waves during their takeover. "The Russians were trying to storm our positions, wave after wave after wave," he said.The White House called attention to this "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-bloody-human-wave-tactics-ukraine-white-house-says-2023-10">human wave</a>" tactic in October, when Russia began its renewed offensive, with a National Security Council spokesman saying Russia was again throwing "masses of poorly trained soldiers right into the battlefield without proper equipment."But there are also experienced forces in the mix.Experts at the Institute for the Study of War <a target="_blank" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-3-2024">said</a> that Russia's strategy likely consisted of sending out alternating waves of trained and untrained forces to attack Avdiivka."Russian forces likely used poorly trained personnel to carry out mass daily attacks on Ukrainian positions and employed trained personnel with better equipment to assault specific positions after exhausting Ukrainian forces," they said.This strategy implies that Russia may be trying to adapt to ground attacks and "prevent rapid attrition of better-trained units and formations."ISW experts say it's also possible that Russia used "Storm" units, penal units made up of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poor-quality-russian-troops-defend-trenches-elite-units-counterattack-wsj-2023-9">convicts</a>, in Avdiivka.Russia has deployed convict units throughout the war, both as part of the Wagner mercenary group and as part of its Storm Z units. Given that these convicts are poorly trained for battle, experts have also noted they are usually ineffective and these units provide "marginal combat power."Waves can nonetheless strain the defenders. ISW, citing Commander of the 2nd Assault Battalion of the 3rd Brigade Mykola Zynkevych's recent interview with a Ukrainian outlet, noted that Russia would send 20 to 30 people to hit a single position, which is more than they did in the Bakhmut "meat grinder."

Russian assault forces varied wildly in the battle for Avdiivka, from well-trained to 'just confused,' Ukrainian soldiers say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>When US military personnel are stuck in harm's way, it's often the <keyword id="11031671" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joint-personnel-recovery-agency">Joint Personnel Recovery Agency</keyword> that gets them home.</li><li>JPRA is the Pentagon's clearinghouse for personnel-recovery operations and provides specialized training for troops who go into high-risk situations.</li></ul>On the night of March 21, 2011, a US F-15E fight jet crashed in Libya while participating in Operation Odyssey Dawn, the air campaign against Col. Muammar Gaddafi's regime.The pilot and weapons officer managed to eject but were stranded in enemy territory. Within just a few hours, friendly forces had recovered both.Behind that seemingly easy operation was a little-known Pentagon agency that specializes in <keyword id="11031672" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="personnel-recovery">personnel recovery</keyword>.Created in 1999, the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) is responsible for the return of US troops and government employees stuck in isolated spots or in harm's way.The JPRA is also the Pentagon's clearinghouse for all things related to personnel recovery, including <keyword id="11031670" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="combat-search-and-rescue">Combat Search and Rescue</keyword> and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (<keyword id="1439551" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="sere">SERE</keyword>), as well as providing specialized training to high-risk personnel, such as pilots and special-operators.<div type="image" title="Air Force Survival Evasion Resistance Escape SERE" height="1415" width="2000" msid="81852969" hostid="261"></div>In addition to training and expertise, the JPRA is also responsible for developing and publishing personnel-recovery doctrine and for working with allied and partner militaries on related matters."We have debriefed all the prisoners of war, evaders, and detainees from Vietnam onward. We also have anecdotal information from Korea, World War II, and World War I to help us with doctrine and training," a retired JPRA officer told Insider.The JPRA is composed of a mix of civilians and military personnel, with heavy Air Force representation.During every major operation, there is a Joint Personnel Recovery center providing support and expertise. That way, the force is better prepared to anticipate threats and react to them in a timely and effective manner."Ours is a passionate focus. Our only job is personnel recovery. We know we're supporting a bigger mission," the retired JPRA officer said.<h2>Is that really you?</h2><div type="image" title="Army soldiers Joint Personnel Recovery Agency" height="720" width="960" msid="81852973" hostid="261"></div>When a US troop is isolated <keyword id="11031669" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="behind-enemy-lines">behind enemy lines</keyword> and evading or escaping enemy forces, there is a procedure to determine their identity. Called the authentication process, it assures the approaching recovery force that the troop in question is indeed a US service member and not part of an attempt to lure them in an ambush.All high-risk personnel, such as pilots, special-operators, and intelligence officers, must fill out an Isolated Personnel Report (ISOREP) that contains personal information to help the JPRA verify their identity in a real-world contingency.The ISOREP includes fingerprints, photographs, statements, and other information with which the recovery force can create verification questions, as well as a four-digit authentication number.Previously, this information was all kept in hard copies, but that prevented rescuers from getting to it in a timely manner during a personnel recovery contingency. The JPRA thus digitized all the ISOREP forms. This allowed a faster authentication process but also inadvertently created a security vulnerability.<div type="image" title="Air Force signal search and rescue" height="1335" width="2000" msid="81852976" hostid="261"></div>In its ISOREP files, the JPRA holds some of the most sensitive information in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, making a potential hack catastrophic. China <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-dna-data-could-allow-targeting-spies-dissidents-citizens-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already stole</a> millions of government personnel files by hacking the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the early 2010s.There are companies, like the <a href="https://www.signaturemanagementunit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Signature Management Unit (SMU)</a>, that offer digital security options to the government and private citizens, but the danger is real.Once an isolated troop contacts the recovery force, the authentication process begins. The first step takes place over radio. An aircraft over head communicates with the troop to localize their location. The best platform for this is the A-10, though an F-16 or an F-15 can also do it if necessary.Then the recovery force uses the isolated troop's ISOREP information to verify their identity. Communication happens over secure frequencies to prevent compromise, but authentication can also be done by sending signals with gestures or objects, using flares, or even by using a mirror to send messages in Morse Code."New technology has helped save lives, and investment into the new PRQ-7 CSEL digital multipurpose radio has gone a long way in helping troops," the retired JPRA officer told Insider.The PRQ-7 CSEL offers precise geo-positioning and secure over-the-horizon and line-of-sight communications.<h2>'These things we do so that others may live'</h2><div type="image" title="Joint Personnel Recovery Agency leaflets" height="1440" width="1080" msid="81852982" hostid="261"></div>The JPRA's purview isn't limited to personnel-recovery operations. It can get involved in a hostage-rescue situation if necessary. But that "depends on requests for support and the need" for JPRA, the retired JPRA officer told Insider.The official overseeing the incident, whether it's an ambassador or a military commander, "has to request assistance, the officer added."For example, the Mike Durant incident in Somalia was a personnel-recovery event, but most people outside the US government would see it as hostage rescue," the officer said. "If rescue had occurred, the combatant commander could have tasked JPRA for specific support."Durant, an MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-armys-160-soar-night-stalkers-special-operations-pilots-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">known as "the Night Stalkers,"</a> was captured by Somali militiamen during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 and released a few days later.Although the JPRA didn't exist at the time, its predecessor agencies provided training, evasion aids, and intelligence products to US forces deployed to Somalia.The personnel who are trained by the JPRA and might one day be saved by it value the agency.<div type="image" title="Air Force combat search and rescue Black Hawk helicopter" height="1333" width="2000" msid="81852987" hostid="261"></div>"The JPRA and its capabilities provide peace of mind to pilots and guys on the ground," a former special missions unit officer told Insider."Sometimes teams or even individuals will go out with zero support - no fighters, no armor, no artillery, no nothing - and also with a very light footprint, just a sidearm and perhaps an M4 here and there. So with the JPRA, they don't feel completely 'alone and unafraid,'" the former officer said, using a common military motto.Although the JPRA takes the lead on personnel-recovery missions, it has always been a collaborative effort. Countless troops and civilians from the military and the intelligence community have contributed.Theirs is not a glamorous mission. Their names and faces don't appear on front pages and recognition is scant. But their role is critical, providing the safe and honorable return of American service members.Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

How a little-known Pentagon agency trains troops to escape the enemy and get home safely

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gazprom's private security companies have forces fighting in the Ukraine war, the Wall Street Journal said.</li><li>The energy giant got the go-ahead to establish a security force in February.</li></ul>Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom now supplies more than just natural gas.According to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-private-military-companies-expand-at-the-front-as-moscow-seeks-more-soldiers-239e7e2e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>, it is actively helping provide manpower to the frontlines of Russia's war on Ukraine.First authorized by the Kremlin to do so in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gazprom-security-force-raises-concern-of-new-russia-mercenary-army-2023-2">early February</a>, the energy giant has spent recent months establishing private security companies and recruiting additional troops for Russia's war, often fighting under the directive of the Defense Ministry.Though the security firms were founded on the pretext of defending Russia's energy sector, recruits ended up in Ukraine weeks later, WSJ reported. Some in the group, made up of former soldiers and company security personnel, were forcibly recruited, adding they they were trained at a Russian base, and shipped off to Bakhmut, the area of eastern Ukraine that has seen the fiercest fighting in recent months. "I want to tell my colleagues at Gazprom: Don't go to Ukraine, stay at home," a former Gazprom security guard, who was sent to Ukraine and was injured, said in a video obtained by WSJ.The company didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Gazprom didn't respond to the Journal's request for comment. Compared to the Wagner Group — a private militia of 50,000 that has played a significant role in Russia's military effort — Gazprom's collective force is smaller, accounting for thousands of recruits. However, they are paid higher wages and tend to be better trained.The energy firm's efforts may also provide some solution to Russia's growing manpower shortage, as President Vladimir Putin seems reluctant to issue another mobilization decree, the WSJ said.That's after an October <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-to-mobilize-500k-soldiers-as-putin-regime-risks-collapsing-says-kyiv-2023-1">mobilization of 300,000</a> recruits led to a mass exodus of citizenry out of Russia, contributing to a record <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/russian-economy-record-worker-shortage-sanction-ukraine-war-labor-exodus-2023-4">labor shortage</a> in the country.But interest in private security groups is growing in Russia, with other mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine. This includes recruits from former security contractor Redut, and from Patriot, an established private security force.Meanwhile, Gazprom has had a difficult year in energy markets, as the Ukraine war led to Western sanctions and restricted trade.Last year, the Kremlin also cut off Europe from most gas supplies delivered via pipeline, though Russia still exports liquefied natural gas. In January, the company said revenue was nearly <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-gas-energy-gazprom-sanctions-ukraine-decades-work-flushed-toilet-2023-2">$3 billion lower</a> than in the previous year.

Russian energy giant Gazprom's private security force was deployed to fight in Ukraine, report says

New Delhi, Nov 16 () Exhorting private security agencies to adopt modern technologies to expand operations, Union Minister VK Singh on Saturday said private security guards can help government agencies in affairs like traffic management, pollution monitoring and crowd management through use of drones and CCTV operations.
 Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways, Singh was addressing 'Security Leadership Summit' organised by Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) at PHD Chamber here.
 "Today governments do not have enough resources and manpower to meet daily requirements of general public. Here private security agencies can play a major role, but they need to train their personnel in modern and upcoming technologies to gain trust of government agencies who can delegate them routine works like traffic management, pollution monitoring, crowd management and cyber security," Singh was quoted as saying in a statement issued by CAPSI here.
 The scope is immense for private security agencies to reinvent themselves and prepare for future challenges, Singh added.
 The minister said Indian private security industry needs to tap foreign markets where there is a shortage of manpower like Europe and Gulf nations.
 "There is a global manpower shortage which Indian private security agencies need to tap to expand their business, but for that they should improve and enhance their skills. Improvement in quality and perfection is needed.
 "Industry needs to hire more technically qualified people to upscale skills and preparedness of personnel. Specialised cadres need to be created keeping in mind changing security scenario," he added.
 Speaking at the event, CAPSI Chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh said private security agencies were ready to help government in carrying out day-to-day work needed to make life easier and safer for common man.
 "Our industry is also aware about growing need for private security personnel in foreign markets and we are working on it. A market of 1.5 crore private security personnel abroad is there to tap for us and we are exploring that," he added.
 Singh thanked present Government for timely amendments in the Private Security Agency Regulation (PSARA) Act that has helped streamlining and growth of private security Agency.
 "Under PM Modi, private security industry has seen implementation of various progressive policies and reforms in laws. Our sector is growing at almost 50 per cent. Today private security agencies employs around 90 lakh personnel, making it one of the top employers. We hope to cross 2 crore workforce within next few years," Singh added. NAM LUX MR
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