As Global Threats Rise, Corporate Flight Departments Need More Resources, Not Cost-Cutting

Corporate Aviation flight departments are one of a CEO's greatest assets. The flight department is a force multiplier that extends their output by placing critical teams around the globe within hours; it is an efficiency machine critical for business; and it's another layer of security, providing a critical safeguard of corporate intelligence, keeping intellectual property secure and private information private.

It would seem to be common sense to add proper protection for the flight department employees who ARE the company's major assets; however, many flight departments explain they are seeing fewer resources while simultaneously facing an extreme increase in global threats. Sadly, some flight departments might not even be aware of the significance of these threats due to their limited resources.

Many flight department personnel face the difficulty of questioning decision makers in their companies who will not commit additional resources to supplementing their security. These are just a few of the arguments they encounter:

• We don't see the required numbers in the profit margin of our P&L statement to support the cost.
• If something happens, we will look into it.
• Why are we paying for security? Nothing ever happens.

Most people can look at those statements and immediately see problems. From a business perspective, you can be sure that your company has financial safeguards and redundancies for unknown eventualities. The physical building you work in most likely has multiple layers of security including security personnel, a badge system, an evacuation plan, and more.

So how do flight departments ensure they do not get the short end of this security stick and can effectively fight for these essential resources? Sure, these flight departments have an excellent safety record due to their professionalism, dedication to training, and proficiency with all the elements they CAN control. It's the security threats that they CAN'T control, which are rapidly escalating globally, where they need the added resources for security assessments, training, and consulting.

The primary challenge that flight departments seem to be facing is that they need clear, actionable intelligence to bring to their leadership to make the case for additional resources. Knowledge, education, and real-world examples from experts in the protection and security profession, who also understand the uniqueness of business aviation operations, will help flight departments make the argument for specialized security training and investments in retaining supplemental security services for their travel.

When bad things happen, nobody wants the responsibility of telling any of the following to the principal or the family of the victim:

• One of our flight crew was kidnapped.
• Due to budget cuts, we did not think it was a good idea at the time to invest in the added security.
• We never thought it would happen to us.

It is a moral and ethical responsibility of flight department leadership to know and educate their staff and corporate leadership on these dangers, including the potential threats of kidnapping; theft of intellectual property; risks to aircraft, reputation, or other major assets; and especially threats to human life.

If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then investing in the added security of your personnel will increase the efficiency and focus of the maintainers and flight crews to fix and fly the aircraft and ensure the current corporate security team has the supplemental support required.

It is an investment in time savings for the flight department and in retaining quality employees. The proper security team will conduct the threat analysis at the destinations you plan to fly to and provide updated information to the executives, flight crews, and HQ security team to ensure an efficient, successful trip. A great security team is a partner, not a vendor.

When natural or man-made disasters happen, and you have proactive security support with you and working to ensure your protection and safe evacuation or medical support, you will not think twice about that investment or the numbers on your P&L form. No amount of financial savings can rival the protection of life, reputation, and intellectual property, as well as peace of mind.

Corporate Aviation Security International, LLC (CASI) provides assessment, training, and consulting services to support flight departments and enhance the safety of their executives, flight crews, and aircraft, at home and at their global destinations.