Trump and Putin's security teams will match ‘gun for gun'

Telegraph

a day ago

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's security teams will be matched 'gun for gun' as part of a reciprocal agreement during Friday's summit.
When the two world leaders meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson they will be protected by the same number of agents with the same number of weapons.
Hundreds of security agents have descended on Anchorage to help protect the two presidents who having both been targets of assassination attempts.
As part of strict security arrangements between the US and Russian teams, no side will open the other's doors or ride in the other vehicles, a source told Bloomberg.
Everything will be matched down to the number of agents to the number of guns. If 10 US agents are positioned outside a meeting, 10 Russian agents will stand on the other side.
The placement of translators in the room will also be matched, as well as the arrival of the motorcade, with the leaders' movements highly choreographed.
There are usually three rings of security, the innermost, the middle and the outer. Russian security forces will control Putin's immediate movements while the Secret Service will protect the outer ring.
AT Smith, the former Secret Service deputy director, said the US agency usually 'works well' with their Russian counterparts.
'Usually, as far as security goes, it's more of a team effort, they're not trying to compete with each other,' he told The Telegraph.
He said security concerns for Friday's summit were less complicated because of the venue – a military base with controlled airspace and fortified gates.
The meeting taking place in the US also means Secret Service agents can move weapons and equipment without restrictions.
'From the security standpoint it will be a fairly straightforward mission,' he said, adding that the two parties will have agreed on reciprocal protection.
'When I was with a protectee in Russia, wherever you might be there would be a [Russian] counterpart,' he said.
'All of the trips I've ever been involved in going to Russia, it goes very smoothly because both security details are very familiar with what the other needs and wants,' he added.
After the meeting was agreed upon, the Secret Service rushed to send agents to Alaska and find housing for them in Anchorage ahead of the summit.
Vehicles and other assets, such as motorcade SUVS, have been driven or flown to the state given its limited availability.
Bulletproof briefcases
Putin's Federal Protective Service (FSO) agents are said to be hand-picked for qualities such as their 'operational psychology' and physical stamina.
They reportedly carry special bulletproof briefcases to shield Putin and 9mm SR-1 Vector pistols with armour-piercing bullets.
Friday's meeting will mark the first time Putin has visited the US since 2015.
In 2022, after he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Lindsey Graham, one of Mr Trump's key allies appeared to call for his assassination, saying the only way the war would end is 'for somebody in Russia to take this guy out'.
There were tight security controls in place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday, with long lines of journalists waiting to be thoroughly screened.
The intense checks were a sign of the scale of this meeting and the apprehension of officials for such a large security operation.