A private security group is helping people get out of the Middle East
The international security company, Global Guardian, has evacuated more than 4,000 people from the Middle East since the US and Israel attacked Iran last weekend. FOX looks at how Global Guardian is getting people out of the Middle East.
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MCLEAN, Va. – With Americans trapped in the Middle East between the US and Israel’s war with Iran, the government and NGOs are working around the clock to get people out.
In addition to the 24/7 US State Department personnel tasked with evacuating Americans, the private security company Global Guardian is also working around the clock to complete the same mission.
As of Friday, Global Guardian has evacuated more than 4,000 people to the Middle East, according to its CEO and President, Dale Robert Buckner.
While operations and logistics teams are based in an office building in northern Virginia, the company has employees in more than 140 countries, allowing Global Guardian to reach almost every corner of the world to respond to emergencies or evacuations.
The Global Guardian receives calls to evacuate people in the Middle East.
“We provide medical services, we provide kidnapping, ransom, payment for extortion negotiations if someone is kidnapped or stolen,” Buckner said. “We provide about 300 devices per month to protect the management, in about 84 countries per month.”
The private security firm also does camera surveillance for residential and commercial buildings and has internet analysts monitor mobile devices.
After the US and Israel attacked Iran in a joint attack last weekend, the company has been coordinating mass evacuations for emergencies – but this is not the first time it has helped Americans get out of a difficult situation.
“That means evacuating people from Puerto Vallarta last week, and Jalisco, Mexico. That means evacuating people from Asheville, North Carolina when it was wiped out by the hurricane,” Buckner said.
STATE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES UPDATES ON AMERICANS FLEEING MIDDLE EAST
Legally, getting tourists out of a war zone and back to safety is a process, but the firm works quickly, completing its first border crossing within the first six hours of the missile attack.
Soon, the company received a call from two students studying abroad, Vice President of Operations Colin O’Brien told Fox News. He said they were trying to leave Dubai.
“Within about four and a half hours of being on the phone, we had our teams go and pick up these people and they were two women in college,” O’Brien said.
Security company Global Guardian works around the clock to evacuate people in the Middle East.
“We put them in the car, we were able to leave the Omani border and in 8 hours we were at the border. We work at the border checkpoint to a hotel in Muscat, where we can stop and give them a short break while we organize their transportation home,” he said.
The group said it is still working throughout the year to ensure that transportation plans are in place before disasters occur.
“There’s a narrative of, here’s the pick-up point, here’s the main crossing point,” Buckner said. “This is what you’ll need from a paperwork standpoint, legally. Then we’ll put you in a hotel or directly on a commercial plane. Probably, in this time of war, we’ll put you on a private charter.”
WHAT’S NEXT IN THE EPIC FURY RUN
Buckner said that most of the missions that take place in the region are on the ground, carried out by local people. He says that in the 140 countries where the company is present, they have grassroots teams that work throughout the year. Training consistently throughout the year.
“We communicate, we coordinate, we do. Executive protection agents, armed agents, armored vehicles, support for major events and medical and security personnel,” he said, describing the firm’s general operational capabilities.
“We determine whether the company needs drivers. From Dubai to Oman, from Israel to Oman, Jordan or Egypt. From Bahrain to Saudi Arabia,” said Buckner.
While the company was working with the State Department, it said it had not yet done any aircraft work on behalf of the department.
Security firm analysts are making plans to remove Americans.
Global Guardian offers these services through what it calls a “Care Membership Program,” which Buckner says costs $15,000 a year for a family of five.
“You will sign a contract – whether it is a family, a family office or usually a large company logo. Then we are, with your call,” said Buckner, explaining the emergency response services included in the contract.
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For Americans still stuck in the Middle East, Buckner said the cost of evacuating using ground and air services varies depending on the situation and location.
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