Formation, Foot and Vehicle Movement Drills
Formations and drills
Protective formations place the team between the principal and likely threat directions while preserving movement and egress. Candidates must know the diamond and box formations, the role of the principal's close protection officer, the forward and rear officers, and the follow/cover position. Formation choice depends on terrain, crowd density, and threat direction; a rigid formation in a crowd is a liability.
Foot drills include the box, the wedge, and the peel (a controlled break to extract the principal). Officers must understand contact drills: cover the principal, move to the nearest cover, and extract along a pre-agreed route. Vehicle drills include the convoy order, the principal vehicle position (usually middle, not lead), the reaction to a blocked route, and the immediate action for contact - drive out of the kill zone rather than stopping to fight.
Traps and rule of thumb
A common trap is placing the principal vehicle at the front of the convoy, where it absorbs the first contact. Another is stopping the vehicle during contact; the correct instinct is to drive through and away. On foot, beware of formations that trap the principal against a wall or crowd with no egress.
Worked rule of thumb: the principal vehicle travels in the middle of the convoy, with a lead vehicle to absorb and report and a follow vehicle to block and extract. On foot, always keep one officer free to open an egress route.