Executive Protection Around the World: Germany

In the ninth edition of our breakthrough series, EP Wired is taking a closer look at executive protection in Germany. We have interviewed three industry professionals and asked them to share their experiences working in the country. Here’s what they had to say.

What are the particular challenges of executive protection in your country?

Having spent more than a decade in the security field in Lebanon and now living in Germany, I see one of the main challenges in executive protection here as adapting protection to a very structured and highly regulated environment.

My operational background was developed in Lebanon, where threat levels could change very quickly, and protection planning often had to account for political instability, terrorism, armed incidents, civil unrest, and rapidly changing conditions on the ground. That experience taught me that effective protection begins long before an incident occurs — with preparation, threat assessment, situational awareness, route planning, coordination, and contingency planning.

Germany presents a different environment. The security situation is generally more stable, but executive protection professionals still have to prepare for threats such as stalking, politically motivated aggression, unwanted attention, demonstrations, and risks created by a client’s public or online profile. At the same time, private security personnel operate within clearly defined legal boundaries, so understanding exactly what you are permitted to do is essential.

For me, this is an important point: executive protection should never be measured simply by how visibly armed or physically imposing a protection team is. A professional’s most valuable tools are judgment, preparation, discretion, communication, and the ability to identify a developing problem early enough that physical intervention is never required.

Coming from a higher-risk operational environment, one of the most valuable lessons I bring to Germany is therefore not to become complacent because the surroundings appear safe. The threat profile may be different, but the principle remains the same: anticipate, prepare, adapt, and keep the principal away from the problem whenever possible. – Ashraf F. Haidar

One of the biggest challenges in Germany, and especially in Berlin, is getting permission to work armed with a handgun. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think a firearm is a necessary tool in every EP Task in Europe or Germany. It is a last-resort tool and is only useful in a pretty narrow context or when preemptive measures have failed. 

Nonetheless, lots of clients, especially from the US, South America, and Arabic countries, ask for armed protection, although most of them would not be categorized by German authorities as primed for armed protection because the threat level simply isn’t there.

Other problems I see are bias or misunderstanding from the clients – they often ask for former military or law enforcement background, which, if they were not in a specific close protection unit, doesn’t transfer too well to private executive protection, as many might believe. You have no other legal options than a normal citizen. There are no governmental authority rights; most of the time you’re working alone and unarmed.

So even coming from a Close protection unit, your skills from that unit might not transfer as well as you might think into the private security world. Often, after fulfilling their wishes, some clients complain about the EP personnel as being not well-mannered and as flexible as they expect them to be in their work or recreational environment.

In the private sector, soft skills like situational awareness, behavior profiling, good communication and rapport building, and even management and concierge skills as well as unarmed protection skills are much more useful than being an expert marksman or former special operations. – Thorsten Stinner

How does operating in your country differ from working anywhere else? 

Having worked in both the United States and Germany, the most noticeable difference is the level of regulation surrounding the private security and executive protection industry. 

In the United States, regulation varies significantly from state to state. In some jurisdictions, the industry can be criticized for being underregulated, allowing individuals who possess the required licenses but lack meaningful training or experience to operate within the profession. 

Germany represents the opposite end of the spectrum. The regulatory framework is relatively standardized nationwide and places significant emphasis on licensing, training, documentation, and compliance. While this promotes professionalism and accountability, extensive regulatory requirements can also create unintended consequences. In some cases, clients and providers seek less compliant solutions in order to reduce costs or administrative burdens, creating an unfair competitive advantage for companies willing to ignore licensing requirements. 

For legitimate providers, compliance becomes an integral part of operations. The result is an environment where understanding the legal framework is nearly as important as understanding protective operations themselves. 

From an operational perspective, Germany also places a greater emphasis on discretion. Clients, venues, and the public generally expect security to remain professional but unobtrusive. Success is often measured not by how visible the security presence is, but by how seamlessly it integrates into the client’s environment while maintaining effective protection. – John G. Branchcomb, Ph.D.

What are the unique tools and tech you carry to help you work in your country?

I have always believed that technology should support the protection professional, not replace fundamental protective skills. My operational experience was primarily developed in Lebanon, so I would not claim to have a specific German equipment setup that I have personally used on assignments here.

Throughout my career, however, the tools I valued most were those that improved communication, situational awareness, navigation, medical response, and the ability to react when a plan changed. Reliable communications are particularly important because a protection operation depends on information reaching the right people quickly. Navigation and route information are equally valuable, especially when movements, alternative routes, meeting points, or emergency options need to be adjusted.

I also consider medical equipment an essential part of a professional protection capability. My background includes field medical training, and that experience reinforced something I strongly believe: an executive protection professional should be prepared not only for deliberate attacks, but also for medical emergencies, accidents, and other unexpected situations.

In Germany today, smartphones, secure communication, digital navigation, real-time traffic information, and properly selected protective and medical equipment can provide significant support. But technology can fail — batteries die, networks disappear, GPS can be inaccurate, and information can become outdated.

For that reason, I would never consider a device to be the most important tool I carry. The most important tool remains the professional himself: his awareness, training, judgment, preparation, and ability to adapt when technology or the original plan fails. – Ashraf F. Haidar

What kind of training or certification do you need to be working in your country? 

There is no specific qualification other than the standard §34a GewO, which is needed to work in the security business in general. But let’s be honest: no seminar or course, not even the ones conducted by government agencies, prepares you for everything you might face or need to know in the private security field. A good basic EP course modeled after governmental courses is a starting point, but there are not that many good ones out there on the German market, in my opinion. There is no way to become a professional shooter, fighter, or intelligence gatherer and behavior profiler in a 6-week or even a 6-month course.

It is all a starting point, but the EP business is a lifestyle that bleeds into your private life all the time. You have to constantly train physically, be on the range and in the ring, and start reading everything you can find about profiling, situational awareness, risk mitigation, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and counter-surveillance, and integrate it into your daily habits.

The most profound lessons you will learn on duty. At best, you start with experienced peers, but that cannot be guaranteed, as I mentioned that you often work alone. Do a debrief or after-action report after every task to get a grasp of what went well and what could and/or should be optimized in your next job.

There is no task I haven’t learned a new thing or figured out how to optimize things for the next task or what to avoid in the future. – Thorsten Stinner

Where do you stand in the discussion regarding firearms and whether to carry or not to carry on assignments? 

This is really a two-part question. 

First, speaking generally, I do not believe that every executive protection assignment requires armed personnel. Unlike some within the industry, I do not view firearms as the defining element of effective protection. Public expectations are often influenced by movies and television, which can create the perception that a professional detail is only effective if agents are visibly armed. 

In reality, the primary responsibility of a protection agent during a violent encounter is to recognize the threat, move the client off the X, seek cover, and evacuate to safety. Those principles remain the same whether an agent is armed or unarmed. In the rare situation where a team is trapped with the client and must actively fight through a threat, having access to all available tools is certainly advantageous. However, those situations are statistically uncommon when compared to the routine challenges encountered on most protective details. 

In fact, I often tell people that a well-equipped medical kit is likely to be used far more frequently than a firearm. Medical emergencies, accidents, slips, falls, and other non-criminal incidents are far more common threats to a client’s well-being than armed attacks. 

The second part of the discussion relates specifically to Germany. The provision of armed executive protection is highly regulated. Armed security personnel must meet specific licensing, training, and authorization requirements, and the legal authority to carry firearms professionally is subject to strict oversight. 

Unfortunately, as in many highly regulated environments, there are companies that choose to ignore or circumvent these requirements. In some cases, armed services are provided without all necessary approvals, creating significant legal and liability concerns. This can expose not only the provider but also the primary contractor and international partners to unnecessary risk. 

My position is straightforward: if an armed capability is justified by the threat assessment, it should be provided legally, professionally, and in full compliance with local regulations. If the threat assessment does not support it, carrying a firearm simply because it looks impressive does little to enhance client safety. – John G. Branchcomb, Ph.D.

What are the most common types of threats or security concerns faced by clients in your country?

The threat profile in Germany is different from the environment in which I gained most of my operational experience. In Lebanon, my work required preparation for situations that could escalate rapidly, including terrorism, armed incidents, political instability, civil unrest, and direct threats against protected persons. Living in Germany has reinforced for me that executive protection should always be adapted to the actual environment rather than simply transferring the same methods from one country to another.

In Germany, a client’s risk can come from several directions. Depending on the individual’s position and public exposure, concerns may include stalking, unwanted approaches, politically or ideologically motivated hostility, demonstrations, aggressive individuals, and threats connected to public appearances.

Another increasingly important consideration is the connection between physical and digital security. Information shared online — sometimes innocently by the client, family members, employees, or others — can reveal locations, routines, travel plans, relationships, and other information useful to someone with hostile intentions.

I also believe one of the most underestimated risks is predictability. When movements, locations, and routines become easy to anticipate, an adversary does not necessarily need sophisticated capabilities to create a problem.

My experience has taught me not to focus exclusively on the most dramatic scenario. Effective executive protection means continuously assessing what is actually likely, what would have the greatest impact, and where the principal is most vulnerable. The objective is not to create fear around the client, but to manage risk quietly enough that the client can continue living and working as normally as possible. – Ashraf F. Haidar

Can you share a memorable experience or case where your skills as a bodyguard were put to the test in your country? 

Of course, I cannot get too deep into contracts, names, and details. What I can say is that for years I had a client heavily into nightlife, and for sure, where alcohol and sometimes drugs are used, conflict is around the corner. I had to put my unarmed fighting skills to the test more than once because I worked alone, and my client also didn’t want me to be too close all the time. You can only avoid what the client allows you to mitigate, and tell him that if he is not taking your advice seriously, there is a possibility of incidents that maybe cannot be preempted.

When waiting for your client outside a safe building in a luxury car, I’ve been probed by hustlers or low-level criminals. Your body language, positioning, and conflict communication must be on point to make the wannabe threat feel that there is no price to win here. Other than that, thank god, no big problems arose because of solid threat mitigation beforehand – Thorsten Stinner

How do cultural or political factors influence the security landscape in your region? 

Germany presents a unique operating environment because cultural, legal, and political considerations often influence security operations as much as the threat itself. 

Compared to the United States, there is generally a stronger emphasis on privacy, proportionality, and maintaining a low profile. Clients and the public are often more sensitive to overt security measures, requiring executive protection specialists to provide effective protection without creating the appearance of excessive security. This demands a high level of planning, situational awareness, and professionalism from protective teams. 

Politically, Germany’s central location within Europe and its role as a hub for international business, diplomacy, trade, and major global events create a diverse threat environment. Executive protection professionals must remain aware of political demonstrations, activist movements, labor actions, international tensions, and rapidly changing geopolitical developments that may affect travel, public appearances, and corporate operations. 

Cultural awareness is equally important. Germany hosts a highly international business community, and protective teams regularly work with clients from North America, the Middle East, Asia, and throughout Europe. Understanding differing expectations regarding personal security, privacy, communication styles, and the role of protective personnel is essential to delivering a successful service. 

Ultimately, executive protection in Germany is characterized by discretion, preparation, and compliance. The most effective operations are often those that go unnoticed by everyone except the client. The ability to blend strong protective principles with local cultural expectations is one of the defining characteristics of successful executive protection work in Germany. – John G. Branchcomb, Ph.D.

For their participation in the series, EP Wired would like to thank John G. Branchcomb, Ph.D., Thorsten Stinner, and Ashraf F. Haidar.

Find the previous series entries here:

• Executive Protection Around the World: The UK
• Executive Protection Around the World: India
• Executive Protection Around the World: Nigeria
• Executive Protection Around the World: The UAE
• Executive Protection Around the World: Argentina
• Executive Protection Around the World: Kenya
• Executive Protection Around the World: Finland
• Executive Protection Around the World: Egypt