Distinguished visitor driving force

Photo By Ensign Bryan Blair | Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Kristopher Cobb, a distinguished visitor driver for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) headquarters, familiarizes himself with the roads and traffic patterns of Bahrain. NAVCENT maintains a group of approximately 20 trained drivers to be used to transport personnel anytime distinguished individuals visit NAVCENT headquarters. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bryan Blair/Released)  

MANAMA, BAHRAIN

07.18.2013

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bryan Blair

MANAMA, Bahrain - They shed their uniform to don a suit and tie, trade their pens for a set of keys and replace their desk chairs with SUVs. They are the distinguished visitor (DV) drivers of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) headquarters, and they have a very important side job.

These drivers can come from any of NAVCENT’s numerous divisions and paygrades E4-E6. Once a week, these drivers report to NAVCENT’s protocol office for assignment.

“Our drivers may be transporting a junior naval officer one day and a U.S. senator the next,” said Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Robert Gibson, NAVCENT’s leading DV driver. “The life of the DV is in the hands of our drivers, so proper training is of the utmost importance.”

The majority of a driver’s time is behind the wheel; however, there are many other facets of the job that require extensive training. Protocol and professionalism, military and civilian customs and courtesies, and learning the terrain of Bahrain are three important subjects each driver must be innately familiar with. Due to the delicate timing of DV schedules, a driver’s instinct and time management skills must be of the highest caliber.

“The process to becoming a driver is very intense,” said Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Brandon Kirch, one of the drivers. “Your attire and military bearing have to be on point at all times, and you have to know the fastest and most efficient route from point A to point B while making the DV feel safe and secure. All of this takes a lot of time and a lot of practice.”

The qualification process involves numerous training sessions over several months with a protocol office driver. Once the protocol office feels the driver has become proficient, they are taken on a final qualifying drive. A protocol officer will ride with the driver, ensuring all customs and courtesies are observed, and that the driver takes the fastest possible route by the safest possible means.

A fully-qualified group of approximately 20 drivers is maintained at all times.

NAVCENT has a very busy schedule when it comes to DVs, sometimes multiple visitors a day. This schedule makes it impossible for the protocol office to handle all of these transports on their own, which makes having a corps of trained drivers so vital to a successful visit.

“NAVCENT has a steady flow of visitors throughout the year but at times the demands increase or decrease based on events in the AOR,” said NAVCENT Protocol Officer Lt. Trent Johnson. “Our driving requirements can vary from two drivers in a day to 20 drivers, and without our pool of qualified drivers, our office simply could not meet the demand.”

Rigorous training, matched with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn, make NAVCENT’s DV drivers the best at their craft. They are valuable assets that are trusted with the task of transporting valuable assets.

NAVCENT receives an average of 30 distinguished visitors per month, and can receive as many as 500 distinguished visitors per year. These visitors come from all over the world and are of military, government and civilian capacities.

NAVCENT is responsible for approximately 2.5 million square miles of area including the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, parts of the Indian Ocean and 20 countries.

• Date Taken: 07.18.2013
• Date Posted: 07.18.2013 09:04
• Story ID: 110368
• Location: MANAMA, BH