Motorcades escorting senior leaders and stories behind the wheel

(Dan Tri) - Unlike ordinary drivers, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles of the Guard Command are truly "artists" behind the wheel.

The image of convoys moving in formation, leading the way to protect Party and State leaders and high-ranking international delegations is no longer strange to the Vietnamese people. If the security officers are ready to use their bodies as "steel shields" to protect the guarded subjects, the officers and soldiers who are tasked with driving professional vehicles with their intelligence and top-notch driving skills are also ready to disregard the danger, using their vehicles to shield and absolutely protect the safety of the guarded subjects. They are officers from the Vehicle Team, Logistics Department, Guard Command, Ministry of Public Security.

The vehicle team is responsible for organizing 24/7 on-duty work, implementing professional measures to control vehicles to ensure absolute safety for the guarded subjects when traveling on the road, as well as meeting the political mission requirements of the unit. Due to mission requirements, to ensure absolute security and safety for the guarded subjects during the entire trip, before each business trip, based on the actual situation, the unit's leaders will assign officers to directly control the professional vehicles to proactively coordinate with units in the Command to grasp the schedule of activities; travel route; protection formation; number of vehicles participating in the working group; coordinate with the Traffic Police Department, the Technical Department (Ministry of Public Security) and related units to inspect the safety of professional vehicles...

In addition, the arrangement of the protective vehicle formation, the location and distance between the vehicles are carefully calculated and considered so that when an unexpected situation occurs, the professional vehicle formation will become steel shields to protect the guarded subjects. Unlike ordinary drivers, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles of the Guard Command are truly "artists" behind the wheel. Regardless of the time, terrain and weather conditions, they still ensure to move in accordance with the agreed formation and be flexible during the move, keeping the correct safe distance; while operating the vehicle, they also observe "all four sides" to promptly detect and prevent risks that threaten the working group, especially causing insecurity and safety for the guarded subjects' vehicles. According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen The Khoa (Deputy Head of Logistics Department), each route in different working trips has its own characteristics. Therefore, in order to proactively handle situations that may arise during the move, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles must have the ability to observe, make judgments, and predict obstacles and situations that may occur; calculate traffic volume and density at the time the convoy passes, and estimate the speed of movement...

"On that basis, officers and soldiers will proactively coordinate with professional units to advise and propose to the Command's leaders about departure time; number of vehicles, travel routes as well as backup vehicles and routes; prepare fuel and support tools," said Lieutenant Colonel Khoa. The approaching vehicle formation has carried out the task of escorting and absolutely protecting the safety of thousands of trips and activities of delegations of heads of state visiting and working in Vietnam. The implementation process always ensures respect and compliance with diplomatic protocol; and ensures the safety of working trips of Party and State leaders to localities in the country.

To be able to participate in the approach vehicle formation, officers and soldiers directly operating professional vehicles must undergo rigorous examinations and selection. In addition to the criteria for selecting approach protection officers such as: Having good moral qualities, strong political will, strong and beautiful physique... officers and soldiers of the vehicle formation must also have at least 5 to 10 years of driving experience, along with special qualities and abilities such as: Having the ability to observe and the ability to judge, handle quickly and flexibly; mastering the roads... In fact, with the high density of people and vehicles participating in traffic, while the traffic infrastructure is not yet synchronized, the team of officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles, in addition to normal driving skills, must undergo a special training course: Intensive and advanced driving, driving in all terrain and weather conditions; skills to handle professional situations and resolve incidents related to professional vehicles during the move.

During the performance of their duties, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles must not only ensure absolute security and safety for the guard's vehicle, but also ensure the safety of the entire working group and the people participating in traffic, and must not affect the guard's work schedule. "To operate professional vehicles, first of all, officers and soldiers must have a firm grasp of the technical parameters, features, operations and proficient use of modern equipment on the vehicle they will operate. In particular, they must go through the basic technical exercises of moving forward and backward in a zigzag pattern with gradually increasing speed; operating professional vehicles in formation to approach the inner city as well as local roads", said Lieutenant Colonel Cao The Dan (Deputy Head of the Vehicle Team). Not only regularly participating in training sessions organized by the Command, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles also participate in advanced training courses and specialized training courses abroad directly taught by the Russian Guard, thereby applying them to practice in performing security duties in Vietnam. In addition to the knowledge and skills trained, when applied in practice, each officer and soldier operating professional vehicles must also demonstrate quick and flexible professional qualities; closely coordinate with related forces such as: Commanders directly in charge of the mission, security officers on approach, Traffic Police force, etc.

In recent years, the Guard Command has been invested by the Ministry of Public Security in equipping many modern specialized vehicles with high technical configurations, used to protect the guarded subjects on the road. Among them, many vehicles are used by the US Secret Service in the protection of important people; vehicles with outstanding features are used as VIP vehicles in the convoy serving professional work.

Therefore, in order to skillfully operate professional vehicles and be able to quickly and effectively handle situations that may arise, officers and soldiers of the vehicle team must always learn and improve their qualifications and technical knowledge; understand the features of each vehicle line; and be able to "diagnose" each vehicle. In particular, before each business trip, in addition to preparing personal belongings and spare food, they must also prepare essential spare parts to promptly handle incidents related to vehicles and roads so as not to affect the schedule of the guard's activities. "Our officers and soldiers of the Vehicle Team love their vehicles as they love their own children; understand the features and operating procedures of each vehicle as if they were their own bodies and protect the vehicle as if they were protecting their own lives. In the process of handling professional situations, in addition to the main goal of absolutely protecting the vehicle of the guarded subject, we also have to set requirements to ensure the safety of our own vehicles," Lieutenant Colonel Cao The Dan shared. During the break time, waiting for the guarded subject to participate in event activities, the "protection target" of the officers and soldiers of the Vehicle Team is the vehicle they drive. In any circumstance, they always heighten their vigilance, absolutely not allowing others to encroach on their professional vehicles, in order to prevent all risks and factors that cause insecurity and insecurity for the vehicle.

Carrying on their shoulders many responsibilities at the same time: coordinating to ensure absolute security and safety for the guarded subjects while moving on the road; ensuring safety for the vehicles they control; ensuring safety for people participating in traffic, officers and soldiers operating professional vehicles cannot avoid pressure. However, with passion, love for the profession, enthusiasm, they have constantly strived, tried, overcome difficulties, contributing with officers and soldiers in the entire force to many outstanding achievements of the Vietnam People's Public Security Guard force.

Content: Hainan, Hai Duong

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