Protection UNIT, the largest Belgian-owned company in the security sector, has won a tender to provide protection and security services to US army garrisons based in Belgium. The company will be charged with protecting “sensitive and high security areas.”
According to a company press release, Protection UNIT will mostly protect structures located near Chièvres, in the province of Hainaut. These military buildings belong to the US Army Garrison (USAG) Benelux, which supports US military personnel stationed at NATO.
The security company will also supply services to three US military equipment storage sites, including Zutendaal in the province of Limburg. In the Brussels region, officers will provide security services for military sites in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe and Sterrebeek.
The contract, signed directly with the US military, covers 120 security officers, a third of which will be armed. These are specialist roles and the security officers will require ten years of experience and advanced certification and training. As part of the contract, security officers will carry out shooting exercises and refresher courses across all locations.
Credit: Protection UNIT
“Winning this contract is real recognition for us, as the American army is one of the most demanding in the world in terms of security,” says Nicolas de Angelis, CEO of Protection UNIT. “It confirms our strategic decision to make the quality of our services a priority.”
The new contract with the US military will run for 5-years and is valued at around €10 million. 120 employees, 40 of which are armed, will provide a cumulative 200,000 hours of service at the sites each year.
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In August, Protection UNIT became the first Belgian company to win the tender to provide security services to the European Commission. The company sealed a €286 million contract, winning out over rivals such as G4S and Securitas.
The Belgian security company has experienced a monumental rise in recent years. Not long ago, the company had an annual turnover of €7 million but in the space of four years this has grown to over €160 million. Despite scandals concerning company founder Samuel Di Giovanni, the company has stayed under his leadership and continues to expand within Belgium.
Protection UNIT now employs 3,100 security agents within France, Belgium, and Luxembourg and works on behalf of around 1,000 clients.
