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The leader's security team was reorganized
On the day Mikhail Gorbachev took office as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, the weather in Moscow was gloomy, but the political atmosphere was full of transformative light. Gorbachev decided not to rely on the old team, which had been in charge of the security of the former leader since 1978, and instead chose a completely different path, that is, to rebuild a completely new security team.
In the early days of his succession, Gorbachev had clear and strict criteria for the selection of security personnel. He demanded that the members of the new team have a clean background and have not been involved in the security duties of the previous leader. This move is not only a shaping of the image of the new regime, but also a firm practice of the concept of security in the new era.
In the process of forming the new security team, several security agencies in the Soviet Union were mobilized to participate in this selection and training process. Under Gorbachev's direct direction, the composition of the security team was no longer limited to traditional military and police forces, but also broadly absorbed elites from the special forces and intelligence services.
The training of the new team is extremely rigorous, including high-intensity physical training, high-tech surveillance and defense technology, and emergency response training in complex situations. In addition, all security personnel are subjected to rigorous psychological and physical testing to ensure that they are able to perform their duties effectively under extreme stress.
After completing the initial screening and training, the new security team quickly became involved in Gorbachev's day-to-day protection work. They were responsible for the security of Gorbachev's day-to-day activities in the Kremlin, as well as all his official trips inside and outside the Soviet Union. During Gorbachev's foreign visit, the team showed great professionalism and coordination, successfully ensuring the safety of the Soviet leadership.
A new layout for security
Gorbachev's security team consisted of four specialized teams, each with twenty-four members, who were carefully selected and rigorously trained to be highly professional and capable of responding to complex security tasks. This security team is set up to ensure that professionals are on hand at all times to respond quickly to any eventuality, day or night.
Each team member has an extremely tight work schedule, with a pattern of working for a few days in a row followed by a day off. This high-intensity pace of work is motivated by the greatest concern for the safety of the country's top leaders. During their day-to-day security duties, the team members took turns responsible for Gorbachev's security inside and outside the Soviet Union, whether in his private apartment, at his government villa, or at public events.
Domestically, the security team's work is concentrated on Mr. Gorbachev's official residence in Moscow, as well as at his government residence. These sites are considered to be relatively fixed and controlled environments, but still require tight security measures. For example, Gorbachev's official residence is surrounded by multiple layers of security checkpoints, and everyone entering or leaving must go through strict identity verification and security checks.
Security measures during overseas visits are more complex. Each time Gorbachev visited abroad, the security team had to coordinate with the local security agencies in advance, learn more about the security environment in the country being visited, and develop a detailed security plan on a case-by-case basis. These plans include, but are not limited to, itinerary arrangements, choice of transportation, route determination, and possible emergency evacuation options.
During Gorbachev's foreign visits, the security team sent advance teams to the site in advance, and these teams were mainly responsible for assessing and ensuring the security situation on the ground. They hold several meetings with local police and security agencies to ensure that both sides work together and that any security threats are identified and eliminated in a timely manner. In addition, the security team closely monitors all possible security breaches, such as the hotel's security system, the layout of the entrances and exits to the meeting venue, etc.
In addition to these physical and technical arrangements, the security team places a high priority on the collection and analysis of intelligence information. By cooperating with the Soviet Foreign Ministry and intelligence services, they were able to obtain detailed information on any potential threats in a timely manner and adjust their security strategies and action plans accordingly. Whether at home or abroad, Gorbachev's every move was closely guarded by the security team.
Route safety and camouflage tactics
During Gorbachev's leadership, security measures reached unprecedented levels of rigor and precision, especially in the arrangement of his vehicles. Whenever Gorbachev needed to move between cities or countries, the relevant security teams implemented a series of sophisticated and elaborate precautions to ensure his absolute safety.
Before Gorbachev's car trip, the roads he passed through were temporarily blocked. This measure involves not only the blockade of the main driving routes, but also all possible alternate routes. The security team works with the local police to conduct a thorough check of the route beforehand to ensure that there are no suspicious objects or potentially dangerous points along the route. In addition, the security team conducts visual inspections of the buildings on both sides of the route to prevent snipers or other forms of attack.
In addition to the actual physical lockdown, the security team used the tactic of fake convoys to further increase security. Before Gorbachev's motorcade departed, several fake convoys that looked similar to the real ones would set off, scattered along different routes. The purpose of this tactic is to confuse observers and make it impossible for potential attackers to determine which queue is the real convoy that contains Gorbachev.
In fact, each of the fake convoys is equipped with a full security team, and each vehicle has bulletproof and anti-explosion facilities similar to Gorbachev's car. The exterior of these vehicles is almost indistinguishable from Gorbachev's car, and the color of everything from the model to the windows is the same, ensuring that they are not easily recognizable from the outside. In addition, the routes and schedules of all fake convoys are planned in advance to simulate the behavior patterns of the real convoy to the greatest extent.
In the actual convoy in which Gorbachev actually traveled, the vehicles were also equipped with the most advanced communication and surveillance technology. Each vehicle in the fleet receives and transmits information in real-time, ensuring that in the event of any emergency, the fleet can react quickly and change the route of travel.
A blend of experience and new strategies
In the spring of 1987, Gorbachev and his wife visited the United States, an important diplomatic move and a trigger for them to adjust the future direction of their security team. During their visit, the Gorbachevs took a closer look at the US president's bodyguard team and were impressed by their physique, equipment, and professionalism in carrying out their missions.
This experience prompted Gorbachev to decide to bring more members with special forces backgrounds into his security team. The special forces within the Soviet Union were known for their intense training, diverse skills, and ability to perform complex missions, and bringing in such talent was seen as a critical step in improving overall security.
The implementation of this decision involves, first of all, the screening of members of the special forces. Not only do candidates need to have excellent physical fitness, but they must also pass a series of tests, including tactical response, use of weapons, defensive skills, and more. In addition, they must adapt to Gorbachev's frequent domestic and foreign travels, and be able to maintain a high level of alertness and adaptability in a variety of environments.
Once selected, these new members are integrated into the security team and need to undergo specialized training to ensure that they can work seamlessly with the existing team members. These trainings include understanding Gorbachev's daily routine, familiarizing himself with his personal habits, and specific communication protocols. The security team has also increased training in the use of modern communication technology and surveillance equipment to ensure real-time updates and rapid response capabilities.
Difficulties and adjustments in change
With the addition of new bodyguards, Gorbachev's security team has undoubtedly been significantly enhanced in terms of skills and tactics. Most of these new recruits are from the special forces and have a high level of combat skills and the ability to respond to emergencies. However, they do not know much about the personal habits of Gorbachev and his family, which poses no small challenges in daily security operations.
For example, the daily routine, eating habits, and even preferences for various social activities of the Gorbachev family require a certain understanding of the security personnel in order to ensure safety and ensure the quality of life of the Gorbachev couple. The new bodyguards lacked this information in the early days and sometimes appeared clumsy when it came to arranging daily trips and handling personal matters, such as failing to adequately consider the specific needs of Gorbachev or his family when arranging meals or social events.
Gorbachev's wife, as the first lady of the Soviet Union, was somewhat inconvenienced by this discomfort of the security team. She believes that the job of the bodyguard team is not only to provide physical protection, but also to be a team with a deep understanding of the family's living habits, which can ensure safety while minimizing the disruption to the family's daily life.
So, at her insistence, some of the old bodyguards who had served Gorbachev and had a deep knowledge of his personal and family life were reassigned back to the security team. These veteran bodyguards not only have a precise grasp of Gorbachev's security needs and habits, but are also familiar with the preferences and pace of life of his family members, and are able to carry out security tasks more handy.
The reshuffled security team began a series of coordinated training sessions involving new and old bodyguards, with the aim of allowing the new recruits to quickly learn and adapt to the habits of Gorbachev and his family. Along the way, the veteran bodyguards shared their experiences from their past service and how to stay vigilant while ensuring that the Gorbachevs' personal lives were not disrupted too much.
Resources:
From Shaheli Puloki. The collapse of a great power[M]. 2020