Who actually has the best
security in the world? Here are the ten most protected people in the world. #10. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George
W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump It’s a five-way tie to kick things
off, and it’s good to be the (former) President. These five men ended
their terms long ago - despite what one of them may tell you - and they left the Secret
Service behind when they went. At least, most of it. All five are still entitled to
protection under the Former President’s Act, which guarantees them an annual pension as
well as lifetime Secret Service protection. This was once reduced to ten years, but restored
back in 2012. Their spouses are also guaranteed protection, as well as all their minor
children up until sixteen years of age. So why is this necessary? Political enemies have a long memory - as
anyone who’s dad is still ranting about the Congressman who ignored his letters back
in 1982 can testify. Presidential terms end, but old grudges still fester, and it’s entirely
possible that an enemy could come back years later to take a shot at a former President they’re
still angry at. Most famously, George HW Bush was targeted by Iraqi terrorists not long after
leaving office in a bomb plot - that might have very well started the second Gulf War a decade
early if it had been successful. So the Former Presidents Act isn’t just good for the former
men in charge - it protects America’s interests. So what exactly do these former Presidents get? That’s classified. The United States Secret
Service isn’t in the business of giving away its secrets, but the odds are each President’s
detail is tailored to his needs. George W. Bush has mostly stayed out of the public eye painting,
so he might need a smaller detail around his home. Barack Obama and Donald Trump, meanwhile, are
known for their globetrotting activities - and the former is even thinking of running again - so they
might need larger and better-trained teams. As for Jimmy Carter’s team, the odds are the Secret
Service spends a lot of time watching nervously under the ladder as the near-centenarian builds
houses for Habitat for Humanity! The only way a former President can lose their Secret Service
protection? If they’re convicted of a crime and removed from office, which might explain why Trump
worked so hard to beat that second impeachment. But not everyone who has top
security is a politician. #9. Mark Zuckerberg The controversial head of Facebook - oops,
we mean Meta - has come a long way since he created the famous software site as a dating
app back in college. And with more prominence comes more enemies. He’s one of the richest
men in the world right now, although his net worth fluctuates wildly, and many people
feel he and his site have way too much power. He’s still digging his way out from the mountain
of controversy over his site’s involvement in disinformation in the 2016 election, and has been
called before Congress to testify multiple times. Do any of his enemies have more nefarious plans
than tanking his stock value? No one knows. But Zuckerberg isn’t taking any chances. Zuckerberg’s 2021 security costs were a whopping
26.8 million dollars - one of the highest known costs for a private individual anywhere.
The Meta Chief is known to be paranoid, and surrounds himself, his family, and his mansion
with a team that resembles those that guard world leaders. While most of the details are private
- and the odds are he pays good money to keep them that way - it’s reported that he has
24-7 bodyguard protection wherever he goes, and his office is equipped with bulletproof glass
and a panic button should he come under attack. And there’s one other big expense. When Mark Zuckerberg flies, he does it in style. A
big chunk of his security costs is believed to be private jets, allowing him to control exactly
who’s around him in the skies at all times. Not only is this a good way to ensure his safety,
but it lets him dodge those pesky security lines and makes sure he’s never accosted by a
guy who has some really strong opinions about being suspended on Facebook
for sharing an offensive meme. But like his fellow tech billionaires,
his actual security measures are very private - that is, unless he’s summoned
to Congress to testify about those too. Sometimes, it’s good to be the King. #8. King Salman In Saudi Arabia, King Salman rules - but he’s
not the only one. The 87-year-old monarch hs ceded many duties to Prince Mohammed Bin Salman,
the next in line to rule the Kingdom - and the 36-year-old Prince has quickly become the
controversial public face of the Kingdom. The oil-rich nation is a regional power broker, frequently being involved in key diplomatic
summits and carving out billion-dollar deals with countries around the world -
especially in the current energy crunch. The monarchy is strong - but it also deals
with extreme threats from within and without. So it’s no surprise they have
a security force to match. Get ready to meet the Saudi Arabian Royal
Guard, the first of many military-like units that protect the world’s leaders.
While technically part of the Saudi military, this group is permanently assigned to the Saudi
Royal Family and answers directly to the King. They not only protect the King and any of
his guests, they can be assigned to important guests to the Kingdom once they arrive - and
they’re all trained in armed and unarmed combat, and can take people by surprise due
to their unassuming nature that makes them look more like religious leaders
than soldiers when guarding the King. And they’re never allowed to lay down on the job. The Saudi King and his heir are constantly
on the lookout for potential threats, including those coming from the Kingdom’s
arch-rivals in Iran. Another regional power known for aggressive international moves,
they’re the most powerful Shia Muslim kingdom, which makes them a natural rival to the
Saudis’ Sunni power base. Additionally, with dozens of princes jockeying for power
in the complex Saudi royal family tree, it’s entirely possible that Mohammed Bin Salman
could face threats within the palace from an ambitious rival. The Saudi Arabian Royal Guard is
highly effective - and highly controversial due to their black-ops tactics, including potentially
the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But how do they protect one of the
most powerful people in the world? #7. Xi Jinping China is arguably one of the world’s only
true superpowers today - and at the head of the Chinese Communist Party is Xi
Jinping, a skilled career politician who has overseen massive economic
and territorial expansion for China. That’s made him many allies in the
country - and many allies outward. Today, he travels around the world to expand
China’s power, and has also become well-known for his battle against corruption in
the mainland. Many of his policies, including the harsh anti-Covid lockdowns
in Shanghai and the country’s hard line towards Taiwan, has made him one of the
most controversial leaders in the world. And China is used to protecting people like him. Enter the Central Guard Regiment, a powerful military force answering
directly to the People’s Liberation Army. Officially founded in 1942 and reformed
and expanded in 1953, it answers directly to the party chairman and has far-reaching
influence. Not only does it have highly trained soldiers who are ready to shoot to kill anyone
threatening its leadership at a moment’s notice, but its spy capabilities are among the best in
the world. Whenever the Chairman goes anywhere, the odds are the Central Guard Regiment
will have people present there before him - eyes and ears open and
ready to move on any threat. So how does it compare to other elite units? There’s one key difference between the Central
Guard Regiment and other national security forces - it’s an instrument of the party rather
than the person or office. So while protecting the Chairman is a priority, its focus is just as
heavily on protecting the country’s security. It’s also highly secretive - as one would expect from a
spy unit - and much less about its activities are disclosed compared to its American counterpart.
What is known is that it comes through the same elite military training as all the country’s
soldiers, and only the best wind up in it and get close to the people in charge - which is
why any enemies usually give them a wide berth. Kings, Presidents, and Chairmen -
are you ready to learn about the security of the most powerful
private citizen in the world? #6. Elon Musk Many of the biggest tech billionaires in
the world don’t show off their security, with men like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos
having only modest public security teams and robust security at their home. But no
one ever accused Elon Musk of being subtle. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is known for being an
infamous media personality - feuding with Mark Zuckerberg, trolling critics on Twitter - and
currently attempting to buy the platform - and even publicly mocking critical politicians
like Bernie Sanders! That’s made him a lot of enemies - and the current richest man in
the world is taking no chances with them. So what does his security team look like? As a private citizen, Musk doesn’t have to
disclose as much about his protection as national leaders. But details have leaked out -
and he seems to be taking a different approach to other billionaires. Musk hands over much of
his security concerns to his trusted point man, Jared Birchall. An all-purpose fixer, Burchall
is notoriously private except when deputized by Musk to speak on his behalf. He scouts out
locations for Musk, forms critical links, and keeps his boss appraised of potential
security teams - both physical and cyber. Because we’re in a whole new world now,
and the worst threats are often invisible. Musk is known for taking private planes and
traveling with a large entourage - many of whom are probably trained soldiers. But in
addition to the usual security measures, he’s notorious for being extremely paranoid about
his digital security. He reportedly changes his cellular device regularly, at which point the
previous phone is wiped of its data and physically destroyed to keep any hackers from learning his
trade secrets. Of course, that doesn’t help all that much when you’re tweeting out your plans
to the entire world! For the richest guy in the world, Musk often plays it fast and loose
- but maybe that’s just an indication that he knows he doesn’t have anything to worry about
because he has the best protection money can buy. If keeping their charge alive for
a long time is proof of success, this next guard team has got
to be the best of the best. #5. Queen Elizabeth God save the Queen - and apparently,
the Queen’s Guard is doing their job. Queen Elizabeth has reigned over the United
Kingdom for seventy years - the longest term of any British monarch in history, and while the
British monarchy is largely a ceremonial role, you don’t last that long in power
without making some enemies. At 96 years old, her protections will likely
pass on to her heir apparent Prince Charles at some point - and both Queen and Prince should
feel like they’re in good hands, because the Queen’s Guard is one of the most effective
small bodyguard units in the entire world. And they do it all wearing
some pretty interesting hats! This elite unit guards all the royal residences
within the British Army’s London District, with the most elite team guarding Buckingham
Palace itself and other sites like St. James Palace and Windsor Castle. Most people
know them as the colorful guard that engages in dramatic changing-of-the-guard
ceremonies, but don’t be fooled into thinking they’re just a quirky part of
British life. No one gets into this unit without being able to respond at a moment’s
notice to any threat to the Queen’s life. And despite the Queen’s beloved nature, she has
faced threats - both domestically and abroad. And when the Queen’s Guard has
been tested, they’ve delivered. Michael Fagan was a seemingly normal man,
a blue-collar London chap who worked as a painter. But he had one unusual obsession - he
really wanted to see Buckingham Palace up-close and personal. In June 1982, he successfully broke
into the palace by shimmying up a drainpipe - and proceeded to eat some snacks and tour the place
before escaping. But his second visit would be much more dramatic - he snuck into the Queen’s
bedroom, and she awoke to find him at her bed. He was arrested, and the Queen’s guard policies
were revised to tighten security. And since then, no one has gotten close to Her Royal Highness
in the next forty years of her reign. When it comes to this next team, you might
think there was some divine providence at work. #4. Pope Francis Vatican City may be the smallest country
in the world, but as the heart of the Roman Catholic religion, it looms large in countless
countries around the world. And at the center of the Catholic city-state is Pope Francis
- the leader of the church, beloved by some for his humanitarian views, loathed by others
for his progressive takes on Church doctrine. At 86 years old, rumors persist that he may be
able to follow his predecessor and resign the papacy while still alive - but until then,
he’ll be well-protected by the elite unit known as the Swiss Guard, the small armed force
that has been protecting the Pope since 1506. Why Swiss? It comes back to a 15th-century
alliance with the Swiss Confederacy, and Switzerland’s long history of neutrality in
larger conflicts. This keeps the fate of the Pope away from geopolitics and in the hands of a stable
ally. Every member of the unit, numbering 135 men, is an unmarried Swiss adult male under thirty
years old who has been trained by the Swiss Armed Forces. Typically, they used traditional
weapons and were more a ceremonial role that rarely saw combat - but one incident in 1981 drove
home that they needed to be on guard at all times. Who would try to kill a Pope? A Turkish radical affiliated
with a fringe far-right movement, Mehmet Ali Agca, snuck into St.
Peter’s Square in Vatican City and successfully shot Pope John Paul
II four times - nearly killing him. The Pope recovered, and he would later ask
for the assassin to be pardoned and released, but it drove home that the Pope needed
even better protection. The Swiss Guard was given advanced training in modern weapons,
turning them into less of a ceremonial army and more of an elite guard akin to the Secret
Service. It also led to increased use of the famous Popemobile - a vehicle covered in
bulletproof glass for the Pope to travel in. It’s one of the most famous vehicles in the
world aside from the President’s famous car, and no potential threats have gotten
close to the Catholic leader since. The more enemies you have, the better
protection you want - to extreme levels. #3. Kim Jong-Un The third member of the Kim
Dynasty that rules North Korea, Kim Jong-Un is feared around the
world - for his aggressive moves like assassinating dissidents living in
other countries, and his nuclear program. Inside the country, North Korea is one of the
most strictly ruled countries in the world, with citizens’ every moves being carefully
regulated. And the North Korean dictator has to worry about power-hungry insiders
in his own administration targeting him, as well as dissidents with nothing to lose
trying to end the dynasty in a bloody fashion. So it’s no surprise that when it comes to
his security, he doesn’t take any chances. And like everything else in North
Korea, if Kim wants you in a role, you don’t have much of a choice. Conscription is near-universal in North Korea,
so almost everyone has elite military training and the military can judge their skills. And if
they deem someone to be the best of the best, they might be chosen to be part of the Supreme
Guard Command. This is a great honor - as well as a costly one, because those chosen to be
in Kim Jong-Un’s inner circle and protect him are expected to cut off all ties to their
former life. They say goodbye to their families, move to the Capital city of Pyongyang,
and never see their families again. That leaves the Supreme Guard Command
to feel less like a collection of bodyguards - and more like a secret
society only answerable to one man. And Kim Jong-Un has other
methods to preserve his safety. All recruits to the Supreme Guard Command
have to meet certain physical characteristics, including no facial scars and a normally
proportioned body. Looking a certain way can also get you in - because Kim Jong-Un frequently
employs body doubles who are expected to lure assassins out of the way and take a bullet if need
be. While no one knows the exact numbers of North Korea’s personal bodyguard military, it’s believed
to be one of the largest in the world - with the total unit having over a hundred thousand people
consisting of bodyguards, combat brigades, spies, and even a construction battalion. And it’s
done its job to keep Kim Jong-Un alive so far. But no one has a larger and more
high-tech construction force than one man. #2. Joe Biden Hail to the Chief! Joe Biden is the current
President of the United States, and that means he inherits all of the President’s perks - including
the massive infrastructure of the Secret Service. Every President has one of the world’s best
security teams - although it wasn’t always this way. Presidents used to have a fairly
modest security detail and just wandered around meeting the people - until four Presidents
were assassinated in less than a century, and it was decided they needed to be a lot
more careful. Operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service
consists of at least seven thousand employees, sixteen facilities around the country, and
an annual budget of over two billion dollars. And they do a lot more than
just guard the President. The Secret Service has an elite team of bodyguards
who are trained in armed and unarmed combat, and can deter any threat to the President. They’ve
disarmed assassins, fended off infiltrators to the White House and other Presidential
residences, and stopped terror attacks abroad. But their secret weapon isn’t their weapons
- it’s their reconnaissance team. Before the President arrives in any location, the odds are
the Secret Service will be there first - scouting the location, meeting with local security teams,
and combing the area for any potential threats. They’re even known for showing up at the door
of any internet troll who made a casual threat against the President. After all, they
don’t know if that one guy who is really, really angry about ferret import laws is just a
harmless troll - but they’re going to find out. And there’s one other area where Joe Biden has the
edge over so many other world leaders - the tech. When the President flies, he flies in
style - on Air Force One, one of the most secure and technologically
advanced planes in the world. These heavily customized military
airplanes are only staffed by the most vetted individuals and feature amenities
anyone flying coach would kill for! And it’s not just the planes - even the President’s car
is one-of-a-kind. Get ready to meet the Beast. This car is heavily fortified, bulletproof, with
escape hatches and hiding places if it’s attacked. And it’s only driven by the most skilled
drivers in the world - those who can escape from the tightest situations and keep
the most important man in America alive. A lot of changes have been made since the Kennedy
assassination - and they seem to have worked. But one man may be even more closely guarded. #1. Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin was already one of the
most feared men in the world - and that was before the war began. Known for his fierce
and ruthless tactics against enemies of Russia, as well as his fast response to anyone he viewed
as a threat, the President of Russia has held onto power for almost twenty years now - and shows
no indication of giving it up any time soon. A former KGB agent himself, Putin
grew up in the Soviet security state, and knows how far their reach extends. To protect
himself, he takes no chances - and has built a complex system of internal and external
systems to keep himself safe from enemies. And the odds are, you won’t know
about them until it’s too late. When it comes to his personal security, Putin
is frequently surrounded by an elite team of bodyguards with the best tools money can buy.
Their briefcases are bulletproof, their weapons are military-grade, and they surround him at
all times when he’s in public. But when he’s not in public, he’s not any less cautious. He goes
old-school when it comes to ensuring no enemies can get to him - even employing traditional
food tasters to make sure no one can poison him, and keeping his advisors at least twenty
feet away from him when at the meeting table. This is supposedly to protect him from Covid
- but it also keeps him out of stabbing range. And many of his enemies never know he’s
after them until his team has already struck. The full extent of Putin’s security isn’t known
- much like other dictators around the world, he keeps his information close to his chest.
What is known is that he employs a complex network of spies that strikes at anyone considered
a threat - whether they’re within Russia’s borders or not. In recent years, several of Putin’s
harshest critics and members of his inner circle who defected have found themselves
assassinated with radioactive compounds. And ever since the war in Ukraine
began, his paranoia has only grown. Rarely seen in public, always surrounded by
his security team, getting to Vladimir Putin is more like breaking into a fortress.
And that’s exactly how he likes it. Want to know more about one of the
most secure vehicles in the world? Check out “Secret Features of
the Beast (Presidential Car)” or watch “Why Did Abraham Lincoln’s Secret Service
Fail” for what happens when it goes very wrong.
