Executive Protection in 2025: Key Considerations and Lessons from 2024

As we look to the evolving landscape of executive protection (EP) in 2025, it’s essential to reflect on the lessons from 2024. This past year brought significant changes and insights that shape how protectors will approach their responsibilities moving forward. From heightened cyber risks to increasing demand for more flexible, customizable solutions, several emerging factors demand attention for a robust EP strategy in 2025.

1.?Hybrid Threat Landscape: Physical and Cyber Security Integration

• Lessons from 2024: In 2024, we saw an unprecedented increase in digital threats directly targeting executives and high-profile individuals. With the rise of remote work and digital presence, EP teams realized the need for seamless integration between physical and cybersecurity measures. Protectors learned that executive data breaches, such as phishing attacks targeting C-suite communication or sensitive data leaks, can significantly impact physical safety.
• 2025 Consideration: Protectors must continue to embrace cross-functional skills or work closely with cybersecurity teams to offer protection beyond physical environments. This involves proactive monitoring of executives’ online presence, leveraging cybersecurity tools, and educating executives about personal digital hygiene.

2.?Customization and Flexibility of Protection Plans

• Lessons from 2024: In 2024, many organizations moved away from one-size-fits-all protection plans. EP professionals recognized that effective protection requires a tailored approach that aligns with the executive's personal and professional routines. An increased focus on data scientists, researchers, and other essential but often overlooked employees illustrated that “executive protection” isn’t just for traditional executives.
• 2025 Consideration: Protection teams should adopt a more flexible approach in 2025, continuously reassessing the individual needs of each client. This includes bespoke travel planning, personalized threat intelligence, and, importantly, providing services to individuals outside the C-suite who hold critical roles.

3.?Mental Health and Wellbeing for Protectors

• Lessons from 2024: As the demand for executive protection grows, so does the pressure on protection agents. The industry saw an increase in awareness regarding the toll that prolonged stress, long hours, and constant vigilance take on EP professionals. Recognizing burnout as a serious risk, some forward-thinking organizations began implementing mental health resources and wellness programs for their protection teams.
• 2025 Consideration: In 2025, prioritizing mental health and wellbeing for EP teams is crucial. Incorporating wellness practices, structured downtime, and support systems helps ensure that protectors remain focused and effective. A mentally resilient team can adapt better to unpredictable situations, ultimately improving client protection.

4.?Everyday Carry (EDC) and Surveillance Countermeasures

• Lessons from 2024: The rise in sophisticated, portable surveillance technologies in 2024 highlighted the importance of everyday carry (EDC) counter-surveillance measures. Protectors began integrating EDC tools specifically designed to counter surveillance threats. This shift reflected an understanding that protection must also extend to preventing unwanted observation or eavesdropping, particularly in high-stakes settings.
• 2025 Consideration: EP professionals should continue to embrace EDC for counter-surveillance. Whether it’s handheld devices for bug detection, mobile apps to assess network security, or rapid assessment kits, these tools help maintain discretion and privacy in a world where surveillance threats are everywhere.

5.?Enhanced Use of Technology: AI and Real-Time Data Analytics

• Lessons from 2024: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time data analytics saw considerable growth in 2024. By leveraging AI-driven platforms, EP professionals accessed advanced threat assessment tools that delivered timely information and predictive analysis. These tools significantly enhanced protectors’ ability to anticipate and mitigate risks.
• 2025 Consideration: In 2025, integrating AI and real-time data analytics will be essential to stay one step ahead. EP teams should invest in technology that provides comprehensive situational awareness, allowing them to monitor threats and adjust strategies proactively. Technology that captures data from social media, news outlets, and geolocation systems can offer insights into potential risks, improving response readiness.

6.?Sustainable and Responsible EP Practices

• Lessons from 2024: The emphasis on sustainable and ethical practices gained traction in 2024 as organizations sought to reduce the environmental impact of executive travel and protection measures. Additionally, socially conscious clients began to prioritize responsible protection methods that respect privacy, civil liberties, and the communities around them.
• 2025 Consideration: Protectors in 2025 should incorporate sustainable practices into EP planning, from optimizing travel logistics to minimizing waste and energy use. EP teams should also commit to ethical considerations that prioritize community relationships and individual rights, especially in regions sensitive to privacy concerns.

7.?Proactive Protective Intelligence and Threat Assessment

• Lessons from 2024: Many EP professionals improved their protective intelligence (PI) capabilities in 2024 by focusing on understanding potential threats rather than responding to them after they emerge. The importance of PI became more evident as professionals worked to distinguish credible risks from background noise.
• 2025 Consideration: Effective PI will be critical in 2025, and EP teams should focus on developing threat assessment capabilities that extend beyond reactive protocols. Incorporating local context, social media patterns, and geopolitical shifts into assessments can help protectors identify and mitigate risks before they escalate.

8.?The Growing Threat of Weaponized Robots: Drones, UAVs, and Autonomous Systems

• Lessons from 2024: This past year demonstrated that drones and other unmanned vehicles are no longer confined to specialized military or commercial use; off-the-shelf (OTC) drones are increasingly accessible and can be easily modified for hostile purposes. The conflict in Ukraine provided a stark illustration of how drones—both aerial and ground-based—are being weaponized, with low-cost drones modified to carry explosives, conduct surveillance, or disrupt secure locations. These advancements show the potential for drones and autonomous systems to be adapted as tools of harassment, surveillance, and even direct attack on high-profile individuals.
• 2025 Consideration: In 2025, executive protection (EP) professionals must account for the possibility of aerial, ground, and water-based autonomous threats. This means investing in robust counter-drone and counter-robot measures, including
• Detection Systems: Utilizing radar, radio-frequency sensors, and other detection tools to identify potential drones or UAVs before they pose a direct threat.
• Jamming Technologies: Employing RF (radio-frequency) jammers and GPS blockers to disrupt the navigation of suspicious drones, particularly in areas where executives are vulnerable.
• Protective Enclosures and Safe Zones: Establishing drone-free zones and protected pathways that minimize exposure to UAVs or robots.
• Training for Drone Threat Response: Educating EP teams to recognize the unique threats posed by autonomous systems, such as drones that can evade traditional security measures by approaching from unexpected angles or directions.
• Anti-Drone Protocols: Companies are also beginning to invest in anti-drone countermeasures like net guns, laser-based defense systems, or electronic countermeasures designed to capture or disable hostile drones. In addition, some are testing water-based defenses, as water drones (or USVs) could potentially be used for waterborne executive travel or waterway security near high-profile residences.

EP professionals in 2025 should treat UAVs and drones as a standard component of threat assessments and response plans. Given that OTC drones are now readily available and modifiable, protective intelligence should also track the purchasing patterns and modifications to drones that could signal increased risk. Advanced detection and neutralization capabilities will not only keep executives safe but also reinforce the EP team’s readiness to face a dynamic range of threats.

Preparing for 2025: A Focused Approach to Evolving Risks

The insights from 2024 serve as a powerful foundation for refining executive protection strategies in 2025. The year ahead presents opportunities for protection professionals to integrate new technologies, embrace flexible and tailored approaches, prioritize the wellbeing of their teams, and adopt sustainable practices. By addressing these considerations, the EP industry will be well-prepared to safeguard the well-being of clients and continue evolving alongside an ever-changing threat landscape.