German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has joined the list of world leaders who have suffered personal protection breaches. This incident, which occurred recently at Frankfurt airport, has highlighted the vulnerability of world leaders in an increasingly dangerous world. Emmanuel Macron, Ivan Duque, Gabriel Boric, King Charles III of England and many other leaders have experienced similar attacks, demonstrating that the concept of traditional executive protection is outdated and ineffective today.
In the case of Olaf Scholz, an unknown driver joined the German Chancellor's convoy undetected. The driver managed to reach the runway where the chancellor's aircraft was located and embraced Scholz without his protection agents being able to intervene in time.
It is worrying that despite the large number of vehicles and motorcycles in the Chancellor's convoy, no one noticed the presence of the unregistered vehicle. This demonstrates that large protection is not necessarily effective. Instead, smaller, well-communicated groups operating in different circles deep in the operational area may be more effective in detecting anomalies early and providing timely warning.
The ineffectiveness of the obsolete and obsolete convoys, these "operational dinosaurs" of the 1960s, has been demonstrated in numerous attacks in recent decades, and this incident at Frankfurt airport is further proof of their limitations in the absence of other operational elements.
In addition, counter-surveillance operations were conspicuous by their absence in this case, since if there had been a counter-surveillance team, the intruder would have been identified immediately. Finally, it would be redundant to comment on the last minute reaction failure of the close protection team, since, as statistics show, these groups historically fail virtually every time they are put to the test.
It is important to note that the chancellor's protection team should be careful not to consider this incident as a "tune-up" for them, as a similar incident occurred a few months before the attack on Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
In short, the security breach at Frankfurt airport involving German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is a sign that the current executive protection system is obsolete and needs to be modernized and improved. Diamond formations, guns and gaudy convoys no longer deter attackers. A radical change in the way executive protection is understood and practiced is required to reduce risks and save lives of both protectees and protectors.
Idioma Español