Close Protection Officer

Stage I establishes the analytical foundation required for the conduct of close protection operations, including complementary subjects in support areas.

This stage provides the analytical and decision-making foundation for professional protective operations and focuses on analysis, reasoning, and operational understanding of Close Protection Operations.

Participants learn the principles, methods, procedures, and operational frameworks that define modern Close Protection: team structure, protection planning, threat behaviour, direct and mobile protection, static protection, surveillance detection, and use of force.

This stage develops the intellectual, behavioural, and analytical skills required for competent field performance in Stage II (Practical Close Protection Training).

Depending on the number of candidates, Stage I may also be presented through instructor-led training.

Assessment (Stage I)

The written assessment consists of a quiz test and scenario planning of a Close Protection mission, so that the candidate can demonstrate defined performance criteria in close protection analysis and planning.

Takeaways

Define Close Protection and its purpose

Distinguish between proactive and reactive strategies

Explain the pillars of protection and layers/rings

Explain the balance between the lifestyle of the Principal and security requirements

Explain the impact of Close Protection behaviour on reputation

Explain how Close Protection integrates into wider security management

Describe how Close Protection operations are conducted

Key Exercises

Classify actions as proactive vs reactive

Identify protection layers in sample environments

Analyse optics and conduct in realistic scenarios

Takeaways

Define the Protected Person (Principal/Protectee/VIP) and explain their psychological profile

Explain how to manage different personalities

Explain confidentiality, boundaries, and professional conduct

Explain the balance between comfort, privacy, and public image

Explain considerations for family protection

Apply cooperation and briefing protocols

The Principal is assessed as a protected asset, with a defined threat profile and exposure level, which directly influences protection posture, team size, and operational approach

Key Exercises

Establish professional rapport with the Protected Person (The Principal/Protectee/VIP)

Build a Principal Profile template

Map principal preferences to security adjustments

Takeaways

Define the role, responsibilities, and structure of a Close Protection (CP) detail

Describe the professional requirements, personal qualities, and behavioural standards expected of a Close Protection Officer

Identify standard Close Protection equipment, clothing, and operational gear required for protective duties

Determine appropriate operative positioning and stationing based on threat level, environment, and operational requirements

Explain the concepts, principles, and procedures of Close Protection circles and protective formations

Demonstrate professional conduct, including ethics, protocol awareness, integrity, discipline, and confidentiality

Identify preventive and mitigation measures that contribute to deterrence, detection, delay, defence, and defeat of hostile actions

Maintain appropriate levels of physical fitness, operational readiness, and psychological stability required for protection duties

Determine the size and composition of a Close Protection team based on threat and risk assessments

Maintain commitment to continuous professional development

Key Exercises

Draft a role description for a sample mission

Assess professional demeanour in sample interactions

Self-evaluation checklist for CPO readiness

Takeaways

Identify and differentiate types of adversaries based on structure, intent, and capability

Analyse adversary motives and how multiple motives influence behaviour and decision-making

Identify and assess adversary objectives in relation to the target and operational impact

Analyse adversary methods of attack across short-, medium-, and long-range engagements

Identify patterns in common attack methods used against protected persons

Analyse the full attack preparation process and recognise key stages where detection is possible

Evaluate how adversaries exploit routine behaviour, predictability, and operational weaknesses

Recognise that attacks are deliberate, planned, and based on prior intelligence and preparation

Analyse the effectiveness of close-range attacks, particularly within crowded or public environments

Identify how adversaries use concealment, deception, and blending techniques to approach the target

Key Exercises

Map the Attack Cycle for selected incidents

Conduct a Red Team tabletop for a venue or route

Identify early-warning indicators in scenario clips

Analyse past incidents through case studies

Takeaways

Explain the purpose and responsibilities of advance work

Explain reconnaissance and the collection of essential information

Produce structured Advance Reports

Apply adversary thinking to planning

Key Exercises

Build a sample Advance Report

Conduct a virtual site assessment (maps/photos)

Identify threat points in an example venue

Takeaways

Explain the objectives of direct protection

Distinguish between high- and low-profile formations

Assign roles in a 1–4-person detail

Explain protective rings and movement logic

Key Exercises

Map escort formations for given environments

Identify formation errors in scenario images

Apply protective ring shifts in example situations

Takeaways

Explain the objectives of mobile protection

Conduct route reconnaissance

Identify route vulnerabilities

Explain vehicle inspections

Apply driver protocol and passenger safety

Explain convoy formations and communications

Explain embus/debus methods

Recognise ambush indicators and immediate actions

Key Exercises

Build a route reconnaissance template

Identify vulnerable points on a sample map

Evaluate convoy spacing and communications

Takeaways

Explain the purpose of static protection

Apply the 4Ds: Deter, Detect, Delay, Deny

Conduct site surveys and vulnerability checks

Explain arrival and departure points

Explain immediate-action procedures and safe-room transitions

Key Exercises

Perform a static-post risk review

Draft a static-site procedure outline

Identify failure points in scenario documents

Takeaways

Define surveillance, counter-surveillance, and anti-surveillance

Identify hostile surveillance indicators

Explain surveillance errors

Structure surveillance-detection operations

Use detection point analysis

Integrate detection into routes and daily routine

Key Exercises

Identify surveillance indicators in video/photo examples

Build a detection-point plan for a route

Map hostile surveillance patterns in example scenarios

Takeaways

Define deadly and non-deadly force, and injury levels

Explain legal and ethical foundations

Apply criteria for lawful force

Explain the force continuum

Apply decision-making before, during, and after incidents

Identify post-incident requirements

Apply stress-management considerations

Key Exercises

Force-continuum decision process

Classify scenarios into lawful vs unlawful force

Build a post-incident reporting checklist

Takeaways

Define security awareness

Identify specific threat scenarios

Explain physiological responses to stress/combat

Explain observation vs perception

Apply the situational-awareness cycle

Use communication to sustain team awareness

Integrate awareness into daily operations

Key Exercises

Awareness-cycle mapping

Identify predictability risks in sample routines

Perform an environmental awareness assessment

Stage II is the operational validation phase, where operational capability is tested and confirmed under realistic conditions.

Over 14 days of intensive field-based instruction, participants apply doctrine, tactics, and procedures in realistic, scenario-driven environments that replicate operational protective conditions.

This stage develops the Close Protection Officer (CPO) into a capable operational practitioner who can function effectively both:

• As a Single Operative CPO for low-profile, limited-resource, or discreet assignments
• As part of a Close Protection Team

Training is delivered through progressive live scenarios, task repetition, team drills, stress-based decision-making exercises, and after-action feedback.

In order to be deemed competent, trainees are required to demonstrate knowledge via written examinations and apply the defined operational outcomes under scenario-based conditions.

Scenario System

All practical training is conducted through progressive, scenario-based execution aligned with:

• Threat conditions
• Risk levels
• Operational objectives

Scenarios evolve in complexity and introduce:

• incomplete information
• time pressure
• competing priorities
• decision points

Operational Stress Model

Training integrates controlled stress factors including:

• physical exertion
• time compression
• cognitive overload
• uncertainty
• environmental pressure

Operational Output

Successful completion confirms that the candidate can:

• operate as a Single Operative CPO
• operate within a protection team
• make decisions under pressure
• execute protective tasks reliably
• apply lawful and proportionate force

Operational emphasis includes:

Teamwork, command transitions, and communication discipline

Decision-making under pressure and time constraints

Safe, lawful, and proportionate use of force

Tactical medical response (TCCC) and casualty management

Unarmed Close Protection Operations

Armed Close Protection Operations

Foot formations

Mobile protection and vehicle convoy operations

Embus/debus and principal evacuation procedures

Surveillance detection, counter-surveillance, and behavioural threat recognition

Incorporation of static protection methods

Maintaining deterrence, posture, and protective presence in public settings

Successful completion demonstrates that the candidate can perform reliably, safely, and lawfully as an operational Close Protection Officer, capable of protecting a Principal in routine, elevated, and time-critical situations, whether operating within a multi-role team or independently as a Single Operative CPO.

Purpose

The purpose of this module is to give Close Protection Officers (CPOs) the understanding and practical skills required to manage traumatic casualties in hostile or high-risk environments. The module teaches the doctrine (Care Under Fire, Tactical Field Care, CASEVAC), the medical-tactical decision logic that balances mission and casualty care, and hands-on competence in haemorrhage control, airway management, shock recognition, and casualty movement so teams can preserve life without jeopardising the mission.

Operational outcomes

Explain the origins, purpose, and three phases of TCCC: Care Under Fire, Tactical Field Care, CASEVAC.

Describe the main preventable causes of death in combat/attack environments and their relative priorities.

Explain the medical-tactical principle “good medicine can sometimes be bad tactics” and how to integrate casualty care into mission planning.

Describe indications, advantages, and limitations of tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, wound packing, and basic airway adjuncts.

Explain triage, CASEVAC concepts, the role of team medical planning, and interaction with external medical assets.

Demonstrate correct application of a tourniquet (C-A-T or equivalent) and record the time of application.

Pack and dress junctional/non-compressible wounds using hemostatic dressings and pressure techniques.

Apply effective direct pressure and pressure dressings under simulated tactical constraints.

Insert and confirm a nasopharyngeal airway and manage basic airway positioning.

Recognise signs of hypovolaemic shock and prioritise immediate interventions.

Perform tactical casualty carry and CASEVAC-style casualty movement and vehicular extraction procedures.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to develop reliable, proportionate, and legally defensible unarmed protection skills for Close Protection Officers (CPOs). The module combines decision-making about use of force with hands-on combative, control-and-restraint, weapons-retention, and realistic personal-protection conditioning so that officers can protect Principals, control threats, and survive violent encounters until reinforcement or extraction.

Operational outcomes

Apply lawful use-of-force options and the appropriate level of force in simulated scenarios.

Demonstrate soft-hand techniques for pain compliance, escorting, and guiding the Principal safely.

Demonstrate hard-hand techniques for immediate disabling strikes when required and return to control measures.

Perform safe takedowns and controlled ground procedures that prioritise officer and Principal safety.

Apply control-and-restraint holds that immobilise a subject without unnecessary injury.

Execute basic weapons-retention drills and recover or secure edged and blunt threats at contact ranges.

Recognise common patterns of edged-weapon attacks and apply measured defensive responses.

Apply immediate-action responses to close-range firearm threats, emphasising cover, movement, de-escalation, and extraction.

Demonstrate strength, endurance, speed, and agility improvements linked to protection tasks.

Maintain determination and stress tolerance through progressive pressure drills and scenario exposure.

In order to be deemed competent for this learning outcome, trainees will be required to display the above performance criteria via formative and summative assessment.

Purpose

To train Close Protection Officers (CPOs) in the safe, lawful, and tactically sound employment of firearms when protecting a Principal. The module develops individual weapon handling and immediate-action skills (pistols and shoulder weapon) and builds single- and team-level armed protection competencies that are specific to protecting a person, including controlled suppression and extraction with the Principal, and lawful use-of-force decision-making under graded stress.

Operational outcomes

Explain legal/ethical constraints and apply the use-of-force decision model in armed protection contexts.

Demonstrate impeccable firearms safety: muzzle discipline, trigger control, positive holstering, and secure weapon retention.

Adopt safe, practical concealed-carry postures, perform rapid controlled draws, and secure re-holstering under pressure.

Engage single and multiple targets with tactical prioritisation, threat discrimination, and controlled transitions while maintaining cover and muzzle control.

Deliver accurate, controlled fire while moving (advance, retreat, lateral), balancing speed and shot placement.

Achieve functional single-hand shooting with both strong and support hands.

Perform Immediate Action Drills (simulated failure to fire, stovepipe, double feed) quickly and safely.

Shoot effectively from unconventional positions (kneeling, seated, barrier-supported, supine) and return to cover.

Employ shooting techniques from and around vehicles, and shooter/driver coordination.

Apply basic night-shooting principles (low-light sight picture and light discipline).

Explain tactical employment, limitations, and safe handling of long-barrel platforms (short-barrel rifles, carbines, shotguns) in CP tasks, including transitions and retention.

Conduct “shooting with the Principal drills using controlled suppression and precision engagement to create movement windows while minimising risk to the Principal and bystanders.

Coordinate driver, shooter, and close protection roles to complete rapid vehicle and foot extractions of the Principal under simulated hostile fire.

Perform safe weapon transitions, retention wraps, and re-holstering while moving the Principal and managing casualties.

Integrate basic casualty measures with armed response where Principal or team casualties occur.

Apply clear, rehearsed commands and communication protocols to the Principal and team during high-stress evolutions.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to train Close Protection Officers (CPOs) in hands-on, team, and single direct-protection skills required to keep a Principal safe during pedestrian movement, in enclosed spaces, and during crowds and events. The module develops single and formation discipline, movement tactics, immediate-action control, principled evacuation techniques, and the ability to integrate armed and unarmed responses while always prioritising the Principal’s safety and legal/ethical boundaries.

Operational outcomes

Demonstrate correct walking formations for single CPO, two-person, three-person, and four-person teams, and explain when to select each formation.

Execute walking formations and rings of protection for low-profile and high-profile movements in both low-threat and escalated-threat environments.

Apply practical control techniques to move, shield, and guide the Principal during an immediate threat as a single officer and as part of a team.

Perform rapid, safe evacuation techniques for the Principal from open areas, narrow corridors, stairwells, elevators, escalators, and vehicle ingress/egress.

Use non-lethal, proportionate close-protection tactics to control aggressive subjects while maintaining legal and ethical standards.

Conduct dynamic movement and coverage in confined indoor spaces, outdoor spaces, crowds, speeches, fence lines, and during personal-contact events (handshakes, meet-and-greet).

Integrate armed close-protection immediate actions with unarmed team procedures to remove the Principal from the line of fire, provide suppressive cover, and extract to a safe haven.

Demonstrate communication protocols, command transitions, and role swaps within the detail under stress.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to equip Close Protection Officers (CPOs) with hands-on skills, procedures, and decision-making required to protect a Principal during vehicular movement. The module covers vehicle pre-deployment checks, equipment packing, driver protocol, travelling formations, embus/debus procedures, vehicle-based body cover, cross-deck/cross-load operations, traffic positioning and movement on junctions, roundabouts, bends, and motorways, evacuation under attack, and contingency planning so teams move Principals safely and professionally under routine and degraded conditions.

Operational outcomes

Conduct pre-deployment vehicle checks and prepare vehicle equipment and medical/trauma kits to operational standard.

Explain and apply driver protocols, roles, and responsibilities, including coordination within a convoy, conducting vehicle condition and maintenance checks, and executing pre-planned emergency driving signals and manoeuvres under stress.

Select and execute appropriate travelling formations (single car, two-vehicle, multi-vehicle) for urban, suburban, and motorway environments.

Perform safe arrival and departure procedures, including approach, dismount, embus, and debus for single CPO and team operations, minimising the Principal’s exposure.

Screen and protect the Principal’s vehicle in traffic, using spacing, lane control, and position to reduce risk while maintaining lawful driving.

Manage speed, spacing, and positioning through junctions, roundabouts, bends, highway merges, and lane changes to reduce predictability and vulnerability.

Execute controlled cross-deck/cross-load with clear command and safe movement of the Principal between vehicles.

Provide effective body cover from within and around vehicles, and use the vehicle as temporary cover.

Carry out rapid evacuation of the Principal from a disabled vehicle to a safe haven under simulated hostile contact, including hot extraction and staged extraction techniques.

Create and apply contingency and emergency plans (alternate routes, safe havens, rally points, vehicle disablement procedures) under stress.

Demonstrate professional communication, command control, and post-incident reporting after vehicular incidents.

Purpose

The purpose of this module is to teach Close Protection Officers and drivers the detection, avoidance, and deliberate response techniques necessary to survive and defeat vehicle ambushes and moving-vehicle attacks. The training combines recognition cues, driving-based evasive and defensive manoeuvres, coordinated team responses, countering roadblocks and vehicle disablement, and mitigation of motorcycle and small-arm moving threats.

Operational outcomes

Recognise early indicators of an ambush or pre-ambush staging and convert those cues into immediate protective actions.

Execute appropriate evasive driving manoeuvres to escape or reduce exposure.

Respond to roadblocks and vehicle denial tactics with pre-planned options.

Manage a disabled vehicle under threat and coordinated cross-load.

Respond to moving-vehicle attacks with driver/crew coordinated evasive and suppression actions.

Integrate driver and protective team roles during ambush and transition to short-range armed responses.

Purpose

The purpose of this module is to give Close Protection Officers (CPOs) the hands-on skills and procedures needed to secure fixed sites (residences, hotels, offices, temporary venues). The module covers practical site search and surveillance, vulnerability assessment, application of the 5Ds, access control, safe-room selection and hardening, visitor management, incident response, and rehearsal so teams can prevent, detect, delay, and respond to threats while preserving life and mission continuity.

Operational outcomes

Plan, conduct, and document a thorough site search (interior and exterior) and identify indicators of compromise.

Carry out a survey and produce a practical vulnerability assessment, including physical, technical, and procedural gaps.

Assess site-specific vulnerabilities (entry points, glazing, parking, roof access, service yards, utilities, food deliveries) and recommend countermeasures.

Implement the 5Ds (Deter, Detect, Delay, Deny, Defend) as an integrated site-protection plan.

Select, prepare, and harden a safe room/holding area.

Design and operate effective vehicle and pedestrian screening, visitor control, and staff escort procedures.

Install and use layered physical security measures and human security measures.

Write and rehearse contingency plans, evacuation routes, rendezvous points, and recovery procedures.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to train Close Protection Officers (CPOs) to read, interpret, and respond to human behaviour in real time, especially in dynamic close-contact environments (arrivals, departures, crowds, events, press lines). The focus is on recognising pre-attack and pre-hostility indicators, identifying baseline and anomalies or “out-of-pattern” behaviour, managing crowds and unsolicited approaches, and handling cranks and stalkers without escalating the situation or embarrassing the Principal.

Operational outcomes

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

Identify physical and behavioural indicators of imminent violence or aggression (pre-attack cues) at close range.

Recognise suspicious behaviour in public areas using baseline vs anomaly observation.

Differentiate between normal audience/crowd behaviour and hostile or fixated individuals (cranks, stalkers, over-familiar fans).

Use body positioning, stance, proxemics, and eye contact to deter, deflect, or redirect a person without using force.

Apply verbal de-escalation and non-threatening gestures to calm elevated persons while maintaining protection of the Principal.

Screen and filter people approaching the Principal during handshakes, photo opportunities, or public appearances.

Work with the team to signal, tag, and hand off suspicious persons to another officer without alarming the Principal.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to develop the cognitive skills and anticipatory mindset, required for effective close protection. The module trains officers to recognise early indicators of attack, manage time and distance deliberately, create and defend protective space and maintain an operational frame of mind under pressure so that decisions and actions remain clear, lawful, and effective during real-world protective operations.

Operational outcomes

Detect early signs and contextual cues that commonly precede hostile action and convert those cues into timely protective responses.

Manage time and distance proactively, using tempo, spacing, and movement to increase reaction options and reduce vulnerability.

Adopt and sustain the protective mindset required for duty, including role focus, threat anticipation, and mission-first decision habits.

Apply observational profiling during operations to separate baseline behaviours from anomalous, suspicious actions.

Create, expand, and maintain protective space and a safe environment for the Principal through positioning, routing, and environmental control.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to develop the combat mindset required for Close Protection Officers to operate effectively in life-threatening situations. The module trains officers to overcome natural human reactions to violence, maintain control under stress, and apply decisive action during high-threat situations.

It focuses on sustaining performance, decision-making, and communication under pressure so that protective actions remain effective, controlled, and aligned with operational requirements. This module ensures that the Close Protection Officer is capable of acting decisively when preventive measures are no longer sufficient.

Operational outcomes

Understand the effects of stress and fear on performance, including physiological and psychological responses during high-threat situations.

Recognise natural human reactions to violence and apply techniques to prevent hesitation and maintain action.

Apply practical techniques to control stress and arousal, ensuring clarity, focus, and effective execution under pressure.

Maintain situational awareness and attention control during high-stress situations, avoiding fixation and loss of awareness.

Apply mental conditioning techniques to prepare for high-risk scenarios.

Maintain clear and effective communication under stress to support team coordination.

Continue functioning under degraded conditions, including fatigue, confusion, limited information, or injury.

Adopt a combat-oriented mindset that enables movement toward threat when required to protect the Principal.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to train Close Protection Officers (CPOs) in both conducting and detecting surveillance operations so they can recognise hostile reconnaissance, deny adversary collection, and apply appropriate countermeasures. The module covers practical preparation for surveillance tasks, disguise and behavioural tradecraft, live surveillance methods, running detection operations, and tactical countermeasures that protect the Principal and the detail.

Operational outcomes

Prepare and equip a discreet surveillance or surveillance-detection mission, including role allocation, kit selection, route planning, and reporting templates.

Select and use appropriate surveillance dress, cover stories, and non-verbal mannerisms to blend in, avoid detection, or appear as a benign presence.

Demonstrate common surveillance methods (foot, vehicle, public transport, digital observation) and recognise patterns.

Conduct a live surveillance-detection operation.

Identify and document indicators of hostile surveillance and produce timely, actionable reports.

Apply practical countermeasures to disrupt or deny surveillance.

Integrate surveillance detection into advance work and daily protective routines to reduce Principal exposure.

Purpose

The purpose of this practical module is to teach Close Protection Officers (CPOs) the full, repeatable process for planning, implementing, and closing (debriefing) a protective operation. The module converts operational theory into practical, team-based planning habits: phased planning, risk-based decision-making, clear task allocation, advance, rehearsal, disciplined implementation, and structured debriefing to capture lessons learned. The outcome is a team that can produce a mission-ready Operational Plan, execute it reliably, and improve continuously through after-action learning.

Operational outcomes

Explain and apply the standard phases of CP planning.

Produce a concise, mission-ready Operational Plan that includes objectives, Principal profile, routes, rings of protection, contingencies, and communications.

Assign clear roles, responsibilities, and decision authorities for each team member.

Run and document an Advance (site/route survey) and convert findings into plan amendments and risk controls.

Prepare and deliver effective team briefs and Principal briefs that are time-efficient and command-centric.

Implement the plan under graded stress with disciplined use of emergency cues, SOPs, and communications discipline.

Conduct a structured debrief using objective data (times, actions, decisions), identify root causes, and produce an After-Action Report with concrete corrective actions.

Demonstrate decision-making under degraded information and apply contingency plans when triggers are met.

Purpose

Provide Close Protection Officers with a clear, practical understanding of the legal and ethical boundaries that govern protective work, and a defensible decision-making framework for the use of force. The module turns legal principles into operational rules, one-page decision tools, and post-incident procedures so CPOs act lawfully, proportionately, and professionally under pressure.

Operational outcomes

Apply the core legal concepts that affect close protection (lawful authority, necessity, proportionality, self-defence, defence of others, arrest/detention powers, and duty of care).

Apply a simple, repeatable use-of-force decision model in time-pressured scenarios (Is it lawful? Is it necessary? Is it proportionate? Is it likely to succeed?).

Identify jurisdictional constraints affecting force, driving, search, seizure, and weapons carriage, and the need to brief and comply with local law and organisational policy.

Demonstrate lawful escalation and de-escalation techniques and explain when lethal force is a last resort.

Execute post-incident duties.

Explain employer/organisation reporting chains and the duty to cooperate with investigations.

Maintain professional conduct and ethical judgement when the Principal’s wishes conflict with legal or safety obligations.

Recognise personal and organisational liability exposures and the importance of accurate documentation.

Purpose

The purpose of this module is to bring together and assess all theoretical and practical competencies of the Close Protection Officer (CPO) course under realistic operational conditions. Trainees will operate as a Single CPO and as a member of a full protection team, applying every skill learned, including planning, unarmed protection, firearms handling, mobile and static protection, surveillance detection, communication, medical response, and lawful use of force in complex, time-pressured, and stress-inducing scenarios.

Each training rotation will assign the team a Principal (client) to protect. Teams must create and brief a full Client/Principal Profile and use it to shape advance work, tactics, optics, and medical planning.

The aim is to confirm that each participant can perform effectively, safely, and legally within a functioning close protection team under conditions that closely replicate real operations.

Operational outcomes

Integrate all practical disciplines—planning, unarmed and armed protection, direct, mobile, and static operations, surveillance detection, and medical response—into one coherent mission.

Produce a professional Client/Principal Threat Profile and use it to inform mission planning, security posture, and public optics.

Apply the use-of-force decision model in all stress situations.

Demonstrate lawful escalation and de-escalation of force, effective communication, and coordination with Principals, team members, local security, and emergency services.

Maintain discipline, situational awareness, and professionalism under physical and psychological stress.

Execute accurate post-incident actions.

Show leadership, composure, and judgement in rapidly evolving multi-threat environments.

Complete and submit all required operational documentation (operation plan, Client Profile, Use-of-Force report, medical report, contingency plan, and After-Action Review).

Drills and Scenarios

Stage II is conducted primarily through practical field training, with minimal classroom instruction. Practical drills and scenario-based exercises are integrated into every module, ensuring that skills are learned, applied, and reinforced under realistic conditions. Once all modules are completed, trainees assessed as competent will enter full-scale, integrated reality-based scenarios requiring the application of all learned skills. Performance is evaluated both as part of a coordinated protection team and as a Single Operative CPO.

Stage II also introduces stress-awareness training through controlled exposure to physical and cognitive stressors, simulating operational pressure while maintaining a safe training environment. Stress induction may include:

Time-compressed decision-making

Physical exertion and movement tasks

Noise, distraction, and dynamic threat simulation

Stress-awareness training never involves coercion, humiliation, or uncontrolled aggression. Physical contact occurs only in approved defensive-tactics modules, under instructor supervision, with full PPE and safety-control protocols in place.

The training environment is structured to replicate the tempo and unpredictability of real close-protection operations, including:

Short-notice tasking and rapid brief/back-brief cycles

Day and night operations, including low-light and transitional scenarios

Integrated vehicle, static, and foot movements under fluid conditions

Continuous communication, reporting, and leadership rotation drills

Reinforcement sessions, corrective coaching, and re-assessment are provided as required. Breaks are scheduled based on operational tempo, and training duration may be adjusted at the discretion of the lead instructor to maintain performance and safety.

Tests and Assessments

A continuous competency-based assessment system is applied throughout Stage II. Evaluation occurs:

At the end of each practical module

During integrated drills and full-mission scenarios

In the final Reality-Based Capstone Exercise, which combines all operational disciplines under stress

Assessment measures the trainee’s ability to apply skills, judgement, communication, and teamwork in realistic, time-pressured environments.

Performance is evaluated as COMPETENT or NOT COMPETENT.

Instructors provide narrative feedback describing strengths, deficiencies, and readiness for certification. All performance criteria are communicated in advance and assessment sheets are issued; trainees may request clarification at any time.

Failure to Meet the Standard

All modules are assessed against established ISA-MKD performance criteria.

Candidates who fail two (2) or more modules will not be certified and must repeat Stage II in full. (course re-take)

Candidates who fail one (1) module receive remedial training and maximum of three (3) total re-assessment attempts is permitted.

Unsafe conduct—particularly with firearms or vehicles—results in immediate removal pending review.

Absences or extended non-attendance may result in removal from the course.

Redress and Remedial Procedures

Trainees receive continuous verbal and written feedback throughout training.

Formal performance reviews occur approximately on Day 5, Day 10, and Day 14.

If a trainee is trending toward “Not Competent,” instructors will implement a Remedial Training Plan, specifying:

Target skills to be corrected

Responsible instructor

Required practice and re-test timeline

Retake

If a participant does not pass the course:

• The participant is permitted to retake the course without an additional course fee
• The participant must restart and complete all required training components from the beginning

Retake eligibility is granted to support capability development and does not guarantee successful certification. Competence must be demonstrated under the same assessment conditions.

Retake Requirements

• All training modules and practical sessions must be re-attended
• All practical exercises and scenario-based assessments must be completed
• Final evaluation must meet ISA-MKD Competent grading standards

Final Assessment

Stage II certification is determined through continuous evaluation across all modules, drills, and integrated scenarios.

Only trainees who demonstrate consistent Competent performance across all required competencies will be certified as Close Protection Officers.

Certification Requirements

To successfully complete Stage II and qualify for ISA-MKD Close Protection certification, candidates must successfully pass all of the following assessments:

Written Test Examination – achieves ≥ 80% in accordance with ISA-MKD assessment standards

Physical Fitness Test – demonstrates the required level of operational readiness for Close Protection duties

Unarmed Close Protection Test – demonstrates competent and controlled performance in restraint, extraction, proportional response, combat mindset and Principal integration

Armed Close Protection Test – demonstrates safe, accurate, and controlled performance in weapons handling, judgement, combat mindset, and Principal integration

Scenario-Based Planning and Execution of a Close Protection Operation for a Principal with an Elevated Threat Profile – demonstrates competent planning, coordination, decision-making, and execution under operational conditions

Only trainees who meet all criteria and demonstrate competent, reliable, and operationally defensible performance in accordance with ISA-MKD standards will be certified.

Certification Award