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This is the op center of Global Guardian. This is *** private extraction company that’s helping thousands of people get out of the Middle East. It’s day 5 of 24/7 nonstop operations, and routes getting people out of the Middle East are shrinking fast. This flight right now is 1000. Analysts at private security firm Global Guardian troubleshoot in real time, working to get Americans back to the US This is how we track all of our clients. Facilities around the world. We got *** look inside, watching how they track and evacuate clients out of danger zones. Agents with the company are spread across 146 countries, communicating directly with the ops center to fly *** growing number of people out of the region. We went from 2468 people moving across the border with commercial air options. To now very limited commercial air options in groups in the hundreds, the team says commercial flights are dwindling. They’re now turning to private charter jets, 5 in the works on the day we visited, to fly people out. Ground transportation to those jets, medical, passport, and hostage negotiation teams are part of included services that start at $15,000 for *** family membership of five. Everything from The flight attendants to the refuelers to the baggage check and execute that entire thing privately so that we can move 200 to 300 clients at *** time. The firm is no stranger to this kind of chaos. In 2022, they helped extract thousands when Russia’s war in Ukraine erupted and out of Israel following the Hamas attack in October 2023. Global Guardian. CEO says demand for their services is surging, growing at least 40% each year. He says while the government can’t offer support and has started efforts to get Americans out of the Middle East, that’s not something the State Department is traditionally set up to do. They can help you with advice and guidance, and they can help you with diplomatic issues, but if you are depending on them to evacuate you in *** combat zone, you’re on the wrong path because that’s not their mission. And they’re not capable of it in many cases. Global Guardian says that they have evacuated more than 2000 people in the Middle East region ever since this situation started to unfold and expect *** lot more in the coming days. Reporting in Virginia, I’m Amy Liu.
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Private extraction firm works to evacuate Americans from Middle East
Global Guardian, a private security firm based in McLean, Virginia, is operating around the clock to evacuate Americans from the Middle East. The firm says they’ve helped get more than 2,000 people out.
Inside Global Guardian’s operations center in McLean, Virginia, agents were glued to screens, typing furiously, while others huddled and whispered.As the conflict with Iran threatens to destabilize the Middle East, the private security firm has worked 24/7 to evacuate Americans from the region. The company said it’s been able to get out more than 2,000 people so far.In an advisory released earlier this week, the State Department has urged U.S. citizens to leave at least 14 countries in the Middle East. Since then, the government said more than 20,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. At least half have returned with State Department assistance.But thousands more still need help. Global Guardian said that is where they are stepping in. Five days into nonstop operations, routes out of the Middle East have tightened. Global Guardian analysts are troubleshooting in real time to book any available flights.”Just in the last 20 or 30 minutes, we’ve had a number of clients tell us that they want to evacuate, whether it’s from the UAE to Oman or Qatar into Saudi Arabia. Our analysts are working with our teams that are on the ground, planning and coordinating the logistics around those movements,” Colin O’Brien, Global Guardian’s deputy VP of operations, said. “We went from two, four, six, eight people moving across the border with commercial air options to now very limited commercial air options in groups of the hundreds.”O’Brien said the firm has agents spread across 146 countries. With the situation ever-evolving, their teams on the ground communicate directly with agents at the operations center to fly a growing number of people out of the region.And while commercial flights have dwindled, Global Guardian said it’s now turning to private charter jets to fly people out. According to CEO Dale Buckner, membership services—which include ground transportation to jets, medical support, passport services, and hostage-negotiation teams—start at $15,000 for a family of five. “We coordinate the entire apparatus from the flight attendants to the refuelers to the baggage check and execute that entire thing privately, so that we can move 200 to 300 clients at a time,” Buckner said.The firm is no stranger to this kind of chaos. Global Guardian said it helped move thousands of people in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine erupted. It did the same in Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023. Buckner said demand for services has now surged, growing at least 40% each year. He noted that while the government can offer support and has started efforts to get Americans out of the Middle East, it isn’t something the State Department is traditionally set up to do.”The State Department is there. They can help you with advice and guidance, and they can help you with diplomatic issues,” Buckner said. “But, if you are depending on them to evacuate you in a combat zone, you’re on the wrong path because that’s not their mission, and they’re not capable of it in many cases.”Watch the latest coverage on the war with Iran:
Inside Global Guardian’s operations center in McLean, Virginia, agents were glued to screens, typing furiously, while others huddled and whispered.
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As the conflict with Iran threatens to destabilize the Middle East, the private security firm has worked 24/7 to evacuate Americans from the region. The company said it’s been able to get out more than 2,000 people so far.
In an advisory released earlier this week, the State Department has urged U.S. citizens to leave at least 14 countries in the Middle East. Since then, the government said more than 20,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. At least half have returned with State Department assistance.
But thousands more still need help. Global Guardian said that is where they are stepping in.
Five days into nonstop operations, routes out of the Middle East have tightened. Global Guardian analysts are troubleshooting in real time to book any available flights.
“Just in the last 20 or 30 minutes, we’ve had a number of clients tell us that they want to evacuate, whether it’s from the UAE to Oman or Qatar into Saudi Arabia. Our analysts are working with our teams that are on the ground, planning and coordinating the logistics around those movements,” Colin O’Brien, Global Guardian’s deputy VP of operations, said. “We went from two, four, six, eight people moving across the border with commercial air options to now very limited commercial air options in groups of the hundreds.”
O’Brien said the firm has agents spread across 146 countries. With the situation ever-evolving, their teams on the ground communicate directly with agents at the operations center to fly a growing number of people out of the region.
And while commercial flights have dwindled, Global Guardian said it’s now turning to private charter jets to fly people out.
According to CEO Dale Buckner, membership services—which include ground transportation to jets, medical support, passport services, and hostage-negotiation teams—start at $15,000 for a family of five.
“We coordinate the entire apparatus from the flight attendants to the refuelers to the baggage check and execute that entire thing privately, so that we can move 200 to 300 clients at a time,” Buckner said.
The firm is no stranger to this kind of chaos. Global Guardian said it helped move thousands of people in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine erupted. It did the same in Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023.
Buckner said demand for services has now surged, growing at least 40% each year. He noted that while the government can offer support and has started efforts to get Americans out of the Middle East, it isn’t something the State Department is traditionally set up to do.
“The State Department is there. They can help you with advice and guidance, and they can help you with diplomatic issues,” Buckner said. “But, if you are depending on them to evacuate you in a combat zone, you’re on the wrong path because that’s not their mission, and they’re not capable of it in many cases.”
Watch the latest coverage on the war with Iran:
