Just stumbled upon.....

[*jr]

this article. Very interesting read on world bodyguards.


Elite Bodyguards: When Only the Best Will Do

While researching two earlier articles, I ran across some fascinating examples of bodyguard units fanatically dedicated to the protection of their principal to the exclusion of all else, to the point of bordering on cult status. As I wrote Task Force 145: The U.S. Secret Weapon in the War on Terror, I came across the existence of Osama Bin Laden's Black Guard, who took their name from an earlier African Moslem guards force. Then, purely coincidentally, within days, I stumbled across the existence of Moammar Khaddafy's fetishistic and bizarre Green Nuns all-female bodyguard. That prompted me to write Hot Lead and Hotter Chicks, a piece examining the trend towards female bodyguards.

But the topic wasn't yet fully explored for me, and I'd run across a lot of thought-provoking bits of information that I didn't use in the previous two articles.

So, this article hopes to investigate the broader topic of elite bodyguard units in general, both as they're used today and some of the more notable examples from history. This is intended to be a quick overview of the topic as opposed to an in-depth analysis, so if you're an aficionado of, say, the Persian Emperor Xerxes' 10,000 Immortals, and are looking for new insights, this probably isn't the place to come. On the other hand, if you're looking for a sort of 'literature survey' and are interested in finding out sources of further information on notable elite bodyguard corps, this article might be for you.

In North America, the most well-known personal protection unit is the United States Secret Service which had presidential protection added to its duties in 1901 following the assassination of President William McKinley. Possibly the most high-profile agency of its type in the world, the service has had its successes and its failures.

The polar opposite, the Islamist Yin to the Secret Service Yang, would be Osama Bin Laden's Black Guard. According to the Fourth Rail blog by Bill Roggio:

Black Guard are specially selected al-Qaeda members who take a blood oath to defend bin Laden to the death. Their numbers are estimated to be at around 200-500 guards. They are highly trained in weapons, tactics and in the martial arts. The rank and file are branded. Senior al-Qaeda leaders serve a stint as squad leaders before receiving their assignments. Osama bin Laden selects the squad leaders himself and establishes personal ties with these future leaders.
Bin Laden was apparently inspired in his choice of names for his elite bodyguard by the famed African slave-soldiers employed by the Sultan of Morocco in the early 18th century.

Former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat also had an elite guard that demonstrated its loyalty numerous times during his exile and afterwards. Force 17 was said by the Israelis (who often targeted the unit) to be a force of 3500 equipped with armored vehicles.

Kim Jong Il is another Axis of Evil charter member who employs the services of a highly trained and conditioned personal guard force. This video footage depicting their training regime is frankly terrifying.

The king of Thailand, meanwhile, who was reported to have supported last year's coup by the Army, is protected by The King's Own Body Guards Regiment , a loyal corps of bodyguards commanded by his son the Crown Prince, and who are highly skilled in the native Thai martial art of Krabi-Krabong acknowledged to be particularly lethal and effective unarmed combat technique.

When a head of state is also an absolute leader of the military, their personal bodyguard often takes the form of a specialized military unit within the armed forces. Such was certainly the case for the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, whose personal Imperial Guard was an elite army within an army, with its own cavalry, infantry and artillery units. In England, meanwhile, the Queen also has as military unit charged with her defence, the Queen's Life Guard.

One of the problems history has made clear is the opportunity elite private guards have to take matters of kingship and succession into their own hands, using their proximity to the principal to launch an assassination. This most famously (and frequently) was the case with the Emperor's Praetorian Guard in Ancient Rome, who took the life of their ruler on several occasions. Modern times have seen similar instances, such as when two Sikhs in the Indian National Security Guards (NSG), Satwant Singh and Beant Singh murdered their leader, Indira Gandhi.

Nevertheless, while there are problems trusting a body or armed men (or women) in such close proximity with the royal (or presidential) person at all times, it has been a practice since time immemorial. As far back as the days of the Pharoah Ramesses II used Sherden from Sardinia as his personal bodyguard, even though as part of the Sea Peoples, they'd laid waste to parts of his kingdom.

Xerxes, the Emperor of Persia, also had a highly skilled -- and sizable bodyguard. Those who've seen the Frank Miller movie 300 will recall Xerxes' 10,000 Immortals who suffered such grievous losses against the intransigent Spartans.

During the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror was only assured of victory after his most trusted knights stormed the location of the stricken Harold II, surrounded by a shield-wall bearing ring of his trusted, ax-wielding huscarls (or house carls). The Huscarls would have been essentially the only professional soldiers in England at the time, and as such were undoubtedly the countrey's most formidable warriors.

One of the reasons that history gives for Harold II being defeated at Hastings is the fact that he marched directly to the battle site immediately after The Battle of Stamford Bridge, where he had defeated another claimant to the throne of England, one Harald Hardrada, the Viking King of Norway. Interestingly for our story, Hardrada himself had served as a royal body guard. In 1035, Harold Hardrada arrived in the city of Byzantium (modern Constantinople), where he was selected to join the Byzantine Emperor's personal troops, the Varangian Guard. Made up completely of Norsemen, the Varangians were not only fierce, but were said to be more loyal than their Eastern Roman counterparts, the Praetorians.

If the modern version of the Roman Empire is the Catholic Church, then the modern version of the Praetorians or Varangians would be the Papal Swiss Guards. Despite their anachronistic appearance, the Swiss Guards are said to be crack troops with extensive training, and with over 500 years of continuous service, they've displayed unparalleled loyalty, as well. Numbering a meagre 110 men, the Guard has been singularly successful in protecting the pope for more than 200 years, most recently saving the Pope's life during an assassination attempt in 1981.

http://primarysources.newsvine.com/_new ... st-will-do

[1_londoner]

*Yawn*

[*jr]

Video of Kim Jong-Il bodyguards in training