Allied Universal’s EPS unit navigates one of its busiest periods on record

LAS VEGAS—Allied Universal’s Executive Protection Services (EPS) unit is operating at an elevated tempo as geopolitical conflict, domestic threat activity and rising executive exposure converge to create one of its busiest stretches, says Glen Kucera. 

“What people think of as executive protection has changed dramatically,” said Kucera, who leads the EPS unit, during ISC West. “This is all executive protection now - but it’s far more all-encompassing than the traditional model.” 

A surge fueled by global conflict 

The tempo accelerated earlier this year following a series of international developments that triggered urgent calls from corporate clients with executives and employees overseas. Kucera said EPS teams were asked to help extract personnel from regions impacted by escalating instability, including the Middle East and parts of Latin America due to the conflict in Iran. 

“We were getting calls from customers saying, ‘I’ve got people in Abu Dhabi, I’ve got people in Dubai,’” Kucera said. “We were helping move people out in real time.” 

EPS also supported evacuations tied to deteriorating security conditions in Mexico and Venezuela, where criminal activity, political unrest and border complications can rapidly complicate travel and personal safety. 

In several cases, Allied Universal coordinated charter aircraft, ground transportation and intelligence support to move personnel to the only viable airports or border crossings still operating. 

“The intelligence piece is everything,” Kucera said. “Something that’s safe one day may not be safe the next.” 

Executive protection has expanded 

Kucera said the recent activity underscores how far executive protection has evolved beyond close-in protection details. 

“The image people still have is the guy in the black suit with the earpiece,” he said. “But it’s gone from that to perimeter security, open-area protection, intelligence, evacuations and crisis response.” 

While overseas extractions tied to conflicts were underway, EPS teams were also responding to domestic threats, including bomb threats in New York City, security concerns at data centers, and increased attention on drone activity around critical infrastructure. 

“One threat might start with concern about an individual,” Kucera said. “The next is about drones or coordinated threats across multiple locations.” 

Reactive planning remains a challenge 

Despite the heightened threat environment, Kucera said many organizations still approach executive protection reactively. 

“You can do EP in-house until you can’t,” he said. “When you suddenly need emergency extraction from a place like Venezuela, or armed protection overseas, most companies don’t have that.” 

EPS is working with Allied Universal clients to put contractual frameworks in place ahead of time. 

“If you need us tomorrow morning, the contract should already be there,” Kucera said. 

No casualties, sustained pressure 

Despite the intensity of recent operations, Kucera said the results have been consistent. 

“Nobody got hurt,” he said. “Nobody got stuck at the border.” 

Looking ahead, Kucera expects demand for executive protection services to remain elevated as executive visibility increases and global instability persists. 

“The environment has changed,” he said. “And executive protection has changed with it.”