Presidential Visits

[Mitchell 1969]

I've lost count of how many dignitary protection details I worked at LAX. Every President from Carter to Bush II, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, bunches of Prime Ministers, Princes, potentates.

Anyway, even being a long-time CP guy, I can't think of a mission for CAP at any of them. Two major problems, if a mission could be identified, are training and coordination. Every agency involved is expected to supply people trained for the mission and also expected to supply knowledgeable decision makers for planning meetings. Whenever we did planning for air shows or crash exercises, CAP would send whoever was available, not necessarily who would actually be performing the mission.  N


A more serious problem - CAP has trouble giving firm numbers for staffing commitments. If they say they will provide 50 and only 20 show up, that's not good.

A case in point - we used to get all sorts of promises from CAP for "victims" at aircraft incident exercises. Nobody from CAP ever knew how many to expect until the actual event. Then they'd literally count who showed and that would be their number.

[Fubar]

Couldn't it go under a HLS mission?

Sure, but again, we'd need something to do (as in a "mission"). What would you propose CAP could bring to the table when a VIP visits town?

[PHall]

Couldn't it go under a HLS mission?

Sure, but again, we'd need something to do (as in a "mission"). What would you propose CAP could bring to the table when a VIP visits town?

A feel good photo op?

[usafcap1]

Couldn't it go under a HLS mission?

Sure, but again, we'd need something to do (as in a "mission"). What would you propose CAP could bring to the table when a VIP visits town?

I don't know something along the lines of maybe photo reconnaissance of ports, access points to said airfield, etc. and what ever else the customer wanted.

That's me two cent, what's yours?

[SarDragon]

The Secret Service usually has that all figured out days to weeks ahead of time, and maintains a history, so they don't have to reinvent the wheel for each visit. And I doubt that they would be willing to hand out travel/routing info to just anyone.

[usafcap1]

And I doubt that they would be willing to hand out travel/routing info to just anyone.

The SS can keep all that stuff. We don't need to know, unless it's a Need To Know situation and even at that I think S or TS eyes can view that type of information.

I just think that CAP could do more. At least in my Wing. . .

[flyboy53]

If you are on a base, contact the Base PAO to see if you're needed or what part you can play. If off base, contact the local political party chair and go from there.

As a former Air Force PA type with a Security Forces background, I was involved with two presidential visits, one Secretary of State visit and a visit by the Vice Premier of China while assigned to Elmendorf AFB. Each time we were assigned to special support team that reported to a White House advance team -- in two cases, directly to the White House Chief of Staff. Also, I was one of the military photographers at President Reagan's last Inauguration.

If the involvement is indirect, your personnel would more than likely just be other faces in the crowd. If directly, you would be assigned specific duties after being properly vetted.

Last comment is to advise you that it is NEVER as exciting or as dynamic as it sounds. However, you get a good exposure to EVERYTHING that goes on in the background.

[Flying Pig]

Contact the local USSS office Special Agent in Charge and lay out what you have to offer.

[THRAWN]

Contact the local USSS office Special Agent in Charge and lay out what you have to offer.

And they will politely say "Thank you" and that'll be the last you hear from them. CAP can provide little to none of the things that the USSS needs when doing these visits. Could they arrange to have the boss walk past a group of cadets? Sure. Is CAP going to be providing commo, or security, or helping little old congresscritters to their seats? Maybe in a bygone era, but not in today's complex threat environment.

[stillamarine]

I remember the briefing we got from the SS one time. I was on a street assignment blocking a road in a crown Vic. I was pretty much told if I step in front of the caravan I will be run over and they won't stop. Same to the motor scouts if they slowed down in front of the caravan. They'd hit them and keep going. The guy had no smile when he said it. I took him at his word.

[Garibaldi]

Contact the local USSS office Special Agent in Charge and lay out what you have to offer.

And they will politely say "Thank you" and that'll be the last you hear from them. CAP can provide little to none of the things that the USSS needs when doing these visits. Could they arrange to have the boss walk past a group of cadets? Sure. Is CAP going to be providing commo, or security, or helping little old congresscritters to their seats? Maybe in a bygone era, but not in today's complex threat environment.

Especially if Cadet Lowbrow dares his buddy Cadet Bagodonuts to do something stupid on a dare. Hey, it could happen. If some dumb jackwagon 16 year old can outwit airport security and hop a free ride to Hawaii in the wheel well of a plane...

[lordmonar]

Contact the local USSS office Special Agent in Charge and lay out what you have to offer.

And they will politely say "Thank you" and that'll be the last you hear from them. CAP can provide little to none of the things that the USSS needs when doing these visits. Could they arrange to have the boss walk past a group of cadets? Sure. Is CAP going to be providing commo, or security, or helping little old congresscritters to their seats? Maybe in a bygone era, but not in today's complex threat environment.

Three years ago....they seemed to like us.   So it does not hurt to ask.

[RickRutledge]

http://www.okwgcap.org/2012/05/10/okwg-civil-air-patrol-supports-presidential-visi/

[Flying Pig]

Contact the local USSS office Special Agent in Charge and lay out what you have to offer.

And they will politely say "Thank you" and that'll be the last you hear from them. CAP can provide little to none of the things that the USSS needs when doing these visits. Could they arrange to have the boss walk past a group of cadets? Sure. Is CAP going to be providing commo, or security, or helping little old congresscritters to their seats? Maybe in a bygone era, but not in today's complex threat environment.

I was just trying to be nice.  You can tell people all day long that it's not needed. At some point they just need to hear it from the source.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Barring what you thought of him as a President, he seemed pretty down to Earth really.  Also on the list of rules was "do not call him President or Former-President".  Call him Mr. Bush or sir.

He seems like he would have been a down-to-earth person, especially away from the Bravo Sierra that is Washington.

As to the title - I thought Presidents were allowed to keep the form of address for life, unless in this case it was Mr Bush's personal preference.

[AirDX]

What does CAP do for a presidential visit? If nothing; what could we do if this were to be a mission?

In Hawaii Wing, we provide air defense targets to spin up the HIANG fighters and Coast Guard helos on the AD procedures and ROE a couple of days before Obama arrives for his Christmas vacation every year.  We've done similar things before other events with presidential participation such as the APEC meeting in 2011.

During the visit?  I don't think so.  We've got nothing to put on the table that's not already handled with a capital H.

[LSThiker]

He seems like he would have been a down-to-earth person, especially away from the Bravo Sierra that is Washington.

As to the title - I thought Presidents were allowed to keep the form of address for life, unless in this case it was Mr Bush's personal preference.

They are.  However, I guess that was his personal preference.

[Johnny Yuma]

If you ever saw what is involved in a presidential visit, you'd never want to participate in it.

No POTUS visit should never involve rounding up and jailing 'undesirables' weeks before the visit, blocking half the roads in and out of the city, tossing people out of their homes and businesses on threat of arrest and training loaded sniper rifles on bystanders.