Throughout American history, four sitting presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President), James A. Garfield (the 20th President), William McKinley (the 25th President) and John F. Kennedy (the 35th President).
Two presidents were injured in attempted assassinations: Theodore Roosevelt (the 26th President) and Ronald Reagan (the 40th President). With the exception of Lyndon Johnson, every president's life since John F. Kennedy has been threatened with assassination.
Based on this experience, the most powerful nation on earth takes the security of the American President very seriously, and is its top most priority during any presidential visit inside and outside the United States of America.
The US Presidenttravels in a security zone, a "bubble" as it's known - a tightly managed network of aircrafts, vehicles and communication that lets him move easily around the world.
Among the top most security measures include the high-tech special limousine popularly known as the Beast. This vehicle boasts of state of the art bullet proof body, internal armoury, oxygen tanks, stand by President's blood type, explosive ditectors, special tires that can continue moving even when flat, among others. It can also withstand a chemical attack.
The presidential security is the sole responsibility of highly trained special force called the Special Agents. A specialized unit of the Secrete Service, they are always well armed with the latest machine guns canceled in their coats. Secrete Service Agents also protect former presidents and their families.
Both the Beasts, and Airforce One always move together with decoys, with ground personnel composed of more than 5 rings. Breaking each of these human protective shields is almost impossible, with every of his movements well planned, rehearsed, analysed before execution.
Of much concerns is reaction and response to an emergency in case of a possible threat to the life of the President. The major principles of reaction is cover, shield and evacuate. The effectiveness of this was witnessed during attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan when some Special Agents were shot as they were shielding President Reagan.
On standby to parachute naval Seals to protect US President Barack Obama and his family in case of an emergency during his official visit to Kenya, Americans flew in a Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft from Africa Special Operations Command (AFSOC), which is based in Djibouti. This special aircraft is currently parked at Kenyatta University.
A first of its kind in the world, the Osprey can fly at a maximum speed of 500 km/h (or 78 per cent faster than the average large helicopter) and is used to transport the SEAL Teams. The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
This combination results in global reach capabilities that allow the V-22 to fill an operational niche unlike any other aircraft. It is classified as a large helicopter, and can be used for military missions. The approximate base price of this rotorcraft is $68 Million, which is 820% more expensive than the average for its class.
It can transport up to 24 passengers, five more than competitors of a similar size. The BOEING V-22 Osprey can fly as far as 879 nautical miles (1627km) on a tank of fuel, a range that’s 452 mi (837km) farther than other similarly sized rotorcraft.
A US Submarine is always stationed deep in any nearby water body, and this might be true to Obama's visit in Kenya. There's a possible underground bunker at the US embassy or a Submarine in the Indian Ocean in which Obama will spend his nights. This is despite the fact that his Presidential suit will remain booked, paid for and heavily guarded by hundreds of Special Agents.
In case of emergency, Navy Seals special forces would be parachuted into the event scene in minutes to back up the cover and evacuate operations by the Secrete Service. V-22 Osprey will be used for evacuation. It lands and takes off like a helicopter but can cruise like a jet. Guided missiles fired from submarine to the action site can also be used to neutralize the enemy within seconds.
Labels: V-22 Osprey
A first of its kind in the world, the Osprey can fly at a maximum speed of 500 km/h (or 78 per cent faster than the average large helicopter) and is used to transport the SEAL Teams. The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
In case of emergency, Navy Seals special forces would be parachuted into the event scene in minutes to back up the cover and evacuate operations by the Secrete Service. V-22 Osprey will be used for evacuation. It lands and takes off like a helicopter but can cruise like a jet. Guided missiles fired from submarine to the action site can also be used to neutralize the enemy within seconds.