Heads of state and their guests often travel in motorcades with police escorts. What safety features do official state cars have? How are escort drivers trained? Berlin’s military police let us film them in action.
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00:00They're among the world's most fascinating vehicles, official state cars.
00:06Some consider them the pinnacle of the art of auto production.
00:10For heads of state, they're just good enough.
00:12What do they mean for dictators or for democracies?
00:16What security do they offer in the event of a terrorist attack?
00:23And how are their escort drivers trained?
00:26Let's find out.
00:33Chapter 1.
00:34Training the escorts.
00:36How do you escort a guest of state?
00:39Members of the military police are being trained in Berlin.
00:41They're set to be deployed with their motorcycles as escorts for a visiting guest.
00:46For security reasons, we're not using their full names.
00:49Master Sergeant Thomas M is their instructor.
00:53They have to be in complete control of their 200-kilo motorcycles.
00:58Grab the rope, drive around, stay stable, watch your line of sight, and let go.
01:03Good work.
01:06The training takes three months.
01:08They also have to learn how to drive in various formations at high speeds.
01:13And later, on the street, to change their formation immediately when they get a remote
01:17command.
01:19Okay, finish the course to the front and park in a nice straight line the way we do it.
01:25Today they're also leaving the barracks.
01:28The German military police are part of the armed forces.
01:32They're only responsible for receiving high-ranking foreign military personnel, officials, and
01:37defense ministers.
01:38The civilian police in Germany are responsible for most guests of state.
01:43They all have to learn to drive precisely at high speeds.
01:48In the wedge formation, we drive 15 centimeters apart at speeds of up to 130 kilometers an
01:53hour.
01:54You can see just how precisely they master the exercise and change their formation on
01:58command through the windshield of the command vehicle.
02:02Park away, yes, and switch again.
02:14Chapter two, the motorcade.
02:16There are deployments for the Berlin military police every week, and now it's time to pick
02:21up a guest of state.
02:22Punctuality and safety are the top priorities for Captain Patrick M. and his officers.
02:28They're already familiar with the route.
02:31Still, we always have to drive the route again, at least on the day before, to see if there
02:37are any roadworks so that we can avoid them.
02:44Now it's time for the real work.
02:46This armored state car is ready to take the Bosnian defense minister across Berlin.
02:51The German defense minister is already waiting for his Bosnian counterpart, and tardiness
02:56is not an option for the military police.
03:07Of course, what we're managing here, arriving on schedule, wouldn't have been possible for
03:11a civilian driver.
03:14Their tricks of the trade?
03:16They can deliberately drive slowly.
03:19Or go through red lights with their 30-meter long motorcade.
03:25It's hard to believe, but some motorists even dare to drive right into the armed military
03:30police's formation.
03:33Some motorists don't care if our blue lights are flashing or not.
03:38Here's what the motorcade looks like.
03:40First come the sweepers on motorbikes who clear the route.
03:44Then the pilot vehicle, the motorcycles in wedge formation, the VIP armored car with
03:50the Bosnian defense minister, the control vehicle, a van with the defense minister's
03:57delegation, and at the rear, reserve drivers, and the military police vehicle.
04:06But there are also state visits with the highest security levels, for example when the US president
04:11comes to town.
04:13In this case, the entire motorcade can be over 100 meters long, including ambulances.
04:24Chapter three, state cars and the symbols of power.
04:29The Bosnian defense minister is welcomed on time by his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
04:37The journey took 40 minutes.
04:40And now a ceremony awaits him as part of the state visit.
04:44I'm very happy you're here.
04:47Later they'll talk about joint NATO defenses in Europe.
04:51But first, a regimental salute by the army music corps' honor guard.
04:56And then the ministers inspect the troops.
05:01Next the German soldiers who died defending Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Yugoslav wars are
05:06commemorated.
05:09Large motorcades have their roots in centuries-old traditions of the royal courts of Europe.
05:15The populace is forced to stop at blocked intersections and is expected to greet the
05:19ruler and cheer.
05:21Today that's best preserved by the British monarchy, when the royal Bentley or carriages
05:25drive through the whole of London, for example at the coronation of King Charles.
05:32Large dinners with heads of state, diplomats and celebrities from the host country are
05:37also part of the ceremonies.
05:39Mr. President, you too have a particular connection to this country.
05:47That's how it works in democracies, but what about autocracies?
05:51Russian President Vladimir Putin also knows how to use the power of state cars.
05:55He even gave North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un this Aurus Senat, a Russian-made state limousine,
06:02because Kim loves luxury cars, even if his people have little to eat.
06:07Chapter 4. Security
06:10German military and civilian police forces are armed.
06:13This exercise only involves a staged car accident, but in an emergency they have to defend themselves
06:20and the guest of state in the event of a terrorist attack.
06:23So when training escorts Thomas M shows them how.
06:26A state car under fire can even get away with flat tyres.
06:30More on that later.
06:34Moving on from the democratic world, under authoritarian regimes, routes can simply be
06:39closed off.
06:41And leaders can ride standing up through the sunroof without being at risk.
06:45Just like when President Xi Jinping joined a parade in a Hongqi CA-72, a historic Chinese
06:51model to mark the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
07:01The US president's Cadillac is a state limousine with ultra-high security technology.
07:11When he goes on a state visit, he always takes two identical vehicles with him.
07:15One drives to the destination as a decoy and the president rides in the other.
07:21This Cadillac is nicknamed The Beast and costs around 1.5 million dollars.
07:27The tank holds 40 litres of diesel.
07:30If there's a risk of fire, a foam nozzle is activated and the foam neutralises the
07:35flammable fuel.
07:36The tyres are reinforced with fire-retardant Kevlar.
07:39There are also steel rims underneath so that if the tyres suffer a puncture, The Beast
07:43can keep on driving.
07:45All doors are armour-plated and 20 centimetres thick, as well as hermetically sealed against
07:51chemical attacks.
07:54The over 12 centimetre thick windows are also bulletproof and can withstand even high-calibre
07:59bullets.
08:02The chassis is a truck frame that's been reinforced against exploding landmines.
08:08The Beast carries automatic weapons, a grenade launcher and a blood supply matching the president's
08:13blood type.
08:19Other car manufacturers are also in on the act.
08:22Mercedes has its various armoured models shot at in its own tests.
08:28This is how they test the car's security against terrorist attacks.
08:32With high-calibre bullets, machine guns and explosives.
08:40Some of the most common and most secure state cars are the specially armoured versions of
08:44the Mercedes S-Class.
08:46Canadian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets chauffeured in a Mercedes-Maybach S650, while
08:52German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rides in an S680 Guard.
08:57The German Beast.
08:58At its core, it has a so-called high-security compartment, an armoured steel frame, plus
09:04additional layers against heat and bullets to protect the passengers.
09:09The car has its own automatic fire extinguishing system, as well as an emergency oxygen supply.
09:1710 centimetre thick bulletproof glass windows and 612 horsepower, with a top speed of 190
09:26kilometres an hour.
09:27The price?
09:28At least half a million euros.
09:30Weighing over four tonnes, it's unwieldy on curbs and the chauffeur even needs a commercial
09:35driver's licence.
09:39But without their work, the security of guests of state could not be guaranteed.
09:44The military police and the captain are satisfied at the end of their mission, because their
09:48guest of state has arrived safely.
09:51But for them, good work often isn't good enough.
09:55When we're back in the barracks, we do a debriefing and then an evaluation.
09:59We do that for every deployment, whether it's positive or negative, an evaluation is always
10:03carried out.
10:04You can only improve.
10:08Back at the barracks, they keep on training, standing at attention, protecting, being punctual,
10:13gallant and chivalrous, a mark of respect for guests of state.
10:18Because in their state car, those guests are the top priority.