ABOUT US | OUR TRAINING STANDARDS & INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATION

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The strength of any security organization is not its equipment or its contracts — it is the readiness of its people. Paladin Defense Group maintains the training standards and instructor qualifications of a professional military force, ensuring that every PDG specialist who supports your organization is prepared, proficient, and current.

This page describes PDG’s internal training program — the doctrine, standards, and individual skill requirements that govern how our team trains, maintains proficiency, and develops capability. It is the foundation from which all of PDG’s client-facing services are delivered. 

PDG’s core training program is grounded in Department of the Army (DA) doctrine and standards — the same Field Manual-based framework used to train and evaluate U.S. Army combat and security forces. This is not a proprietary curriculum built around commercial security industry norms. It is the proven, operationally validated training framework developed through decades of U.S. military experience in the world’s most demanding environments.

Training is structured around three core proficiency areas: tactical operations, weapons and marksmanship, and specialized technical skills. PDG Security Specialists are required to demonstrate and maintain proficiency across all three — ensuring that client-facing personnel are not narrowly skilled but broadly capable across the full range of security mission requirements.

In addition to standardized training, PDG develops customized training packages tailored to the specific operational requirements, threat environments, and client objectives of each engagement. Army doctrine is the floor — not the ceiling.

The following training tasks represent the primary disciplines that PDG personnel continually train, maintain, and refine. These are not one-time qualification events — they are recurring training requirements that keep every PDG specialist operationally current.

Leadership & Operational Planning

• Troop Leading Procedures — The foundational leadership process for planning and executing tactical operations — from mission receipt through rehearsal and execution.
• Operational & Strategic Planning — Development of operational plans, orders, and concepts of operations (CONOPs) at tactical through strategic echelons.
• Pattern Analysis & Situational Understanding — Identifying behavioral patterns, threat indicators, and environmental factors that inform security decision-making and threat anticipation.
• Risk Management & Effects of Continuous Operations — Assessing and mitigating operational risk, managing personnel fatigue, and sustaining mission effectiveness over extended security operations.
• Media Considerations — Operational security in media-present environments, managing information exposure, and coordinating communications in sensitive scenarios.

Tactical Operations

• Tactical Movement & Maneuvers — Individual and team movement techniques, cover and concealment, and coordinated tactical movement in all terrain and threat conditions.
• Offensive & Defensive Operations — Planning and execution of attack, raid, ambush, defense, and retrograde operations across the full spectrum of tactical missions.
• Urban Operations — Movement, engagement, and clearance operations in complex urban terrain — buildings, streets, and populated environments.
• Stability Operations — Security operations in post-conflict and transitional environments, including area security, civil order support, and force presence.
• Civil Support Operations — Security force support to civil authorities during emergencies, disasters, or civil unrest scenarios.
• Maneuver Support — Integration of combat engineering, obstacle breaching, and route clearance support into tactical maneuver operations.
• Tactical Enabling Operations — Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities that enable and shape the conditions for successful tactical execution.
• Sustainment Operations — Logistics, resupply, and support operations sustaining security forces across extended or remote operational deployments.
• Motorized & Convoy Operations — Offensive and defensive vehicle convoy operations, including formation driving, react-to-contact drills, and route clearance procedures.
• Reconnaissance Operations — Area, zone, and route reconnaissance; surveillance; and overwatch operations providing intelligence support to security missions.
• Aviation Support — Air assault and airborne operations — rotary and fixed-wing insertion, extraction, and close air support coordination.
• Sniper Team Employment — Deployment and integration of sniper teams in area and urban operational environments — overwatch, designated engagement, and counter-sniper operations.

Weapons & Marksmanship

• Small Arms & Crew-Served Weapons Employment — Proficient operation, maintenance, and tactical employment of individual and crew-served weapons systems across all conditions.
• Basic & Advanced Small Arms — Foundational through advanced proficiency in pistol, rifle, and shotgun platforms — including qualification, maintenance, and tactical application.
• Direct Fire Controls — Target acquisition, range estimation, fire control orders, and coordinated direct fire in support of tactical operations.
• Close Protection Operations — Weapons employment in executive and dignitary protection contexts — balancing threat response with principal safety and operational discretion.

Specialized Technical Skills

• Counter-IED (C-IED) & VBIED Operations — Recognition, reporting, and protective action procedures for improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne explosive threats.
• Chemical / Biological / Nuclear Operations — Individual protective measures, detection procedures, and operational continuity in CBRN-contaminated environments.

Medical & Emergency Support

• First Aid & Combat Lifesaver Training — Hemorrhage control, airway management, and emergency treatment at the individual and team level — keeping personnel alive until higher-level care is available.
• MEDEVAC & CASEVAC Operations — Medical evacuation planning, nine-line MEDEVAC request procedures, and coordination of ground and air casualty evacuation in tactical and security environments. 

In addition to collective tactical training, every PDG specialist completes individual training across three tracks designed to build security-specific competencies from foundational through advanced levels. These tracks ensure that personnel are qualified and current in the specific skills required for security operations, regardless of their military specialty background.

Track 1 — Basic Security Course

Foundational security operations training covering the systems, procedures, and judgment required for effective security force employment. Designed to establish baseline competency for all PDG security specialists.

• Guard Electronic Monitoring System (GEMS) — Operation and monitoring of electronic intrusion detection and alert systems.
• Central Alarm Monitoring System (CAMS) — Centralized alarm system monitoring, alert response, and incident escalation procedures.
• Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) — Surveillance camera system operation, monitoring protocols, and event documentation.
• Explosive Detection Training — Recognition of explosive device indicators, suspicious package assessment, and initial response procedures.
• X-Ray Operations — Operation of X-ray screening equipment and interpretation of scan results for prohibited item identification.
• Firearms Training, Familiarization & Qualification — Weapons handling, safe operations, and formal qualification to security force employment standards.
• Threat Scenario Training — Shoot / No-Shoot scenario-based exercises developing threat identification and use-of-force decision-making under realistic conditions.
• Medical Training — Emergency first aid, bleeding control, and basic life support for security force personnel.
• Basic Security Specialist Duties — Post orders, access control procedures, incident reporting, and professional security force conduct standards.

Track 2 — Advanced Marksmanship Training

Progressive marksmanship training building from foundational proficiency through advanced tactical application — across both static and mobile shooting conditions. Designed for security specialists requiring demonstrated weapons proficiency above basic qualification standards.

• Rifle & Pistol Mechanics, Familiarization & Qualification — Complete weapons system knowledge, malfunction clearance, and formal qualification to advanced marksmanship standards.
• Basic & Advanced Firing Positions — Proficiency in static and mobile firing positions — standing, kneeling, prone, supported, and unsupported — across variable distance and engagement conditions.
• Close Quarters Marksmanship (CQM) — High-speed, short-range pistol and rifle marksmanship optimized for close-contact threat scenarios and building environments.
• Rifle & Pistol Transitioning — Smooth and reliable transition between primary and secondary weapons systems under time and stress — a critical skill in close-protection and security operations.

Track 3 — Squad Designated Marksmanship (SDM) Training

Precision marksmanship training for personnel assigned or qualified as Squad Designated Marksmen — bridging the gap between standard rifle marksmanship and full sniper employment. SDM-qualified personnel extend a security team’s effective engagement range and provide overwatch capability in area and urban environments.

• Basic Rifle Mechanics — Advanced weapons system knowledge including precision rifle selection, maintenance, and preparation for long-range accuracy.
• Ballistics Knowledge — External and terminal ballistics — understanding bullet flight, drop, drift, and the factors affecting precision engagement at extended ranges.
• Optic Zeroing & Doping — Scope zeroing procedures and doping (adjustment of scope settings for range, wind, and environmental conditions) to achieve first-round hit probability at distance.
• Effective Hide-Site Construction — Selection, preparation, and use of concealed shooting positions in both urban structures and open terrain environments.
• Long-Range Engagement Training — Live-fire precision shooting at 600m, 800m, 1,000m, and 1,100m — developing the consistency and skill required for effective designated marksman employment.
• Counter-Sniper Techniques — Detection, location, and engagement of opposing sniper threats — including signature management, movement patterns, and counter-sniper positioning.
• Range Estimation & Accuracy — Multiple methods of range estimation without optic aids, including mil-dot ranging, map-based estimation, and environmental indicators affecting accuracy at distance .

The quality of any training program is inseparable from the quality of the instructors delivering it. PDG holds its training staff to the same standard it holds its security specialists — and that standard begins with formal certification and extends through demonstrated operational experience.

• NRA Certified Instructors — All PDG firearms and marksmanship instructors hold National Rifle Association (NRA) certification in their respective disciplines — meeting the formal qualification standard required for professional firearms instruction.
• U.S. Military Training Backgrounds — Every PDG instructor has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, with extensive experience planning, designing, and executing training programs — from individual qualification ranges through complex, multi-day combined arms exercises.
• Operational Credibility — PDG instructors have not only taught these skills — they have executed them in combat and high-threat environments. That operational context shapes every training decision: what works under real pressure, what techniques are perishable, and where training shortcuts cost lives.
• Current & Updated Training Methods — PDG continuously updates its training programs to reflect current threat techniques, emerging security doctrine, and lessons from ongoing operational experience — ensuring clients receive training that is relevant today, not dated from a previous era. 

PDG leverages a broad range of resources to plan, execute, and evaluate training — supporting both internal team development and client-facing training programs. These resources include:

• Live-Fire Ranges — Access to qualified shooting ranges supporting pistol, rifle, shotgun, and long-range marksmanship training at the required distances.
• Simulation & Force-on-Force Capabilities — Training simulators and Simunitions-equipped role players enabling realistic scenario-based training without live-fire risk.
• Scenario Training Environments — Urban environment training structures and scenario-specific layouts supporting CQC, active shooter, and security force exercises.
• Curriculum Development — In-house capability to design and develop custom training programs, lesson plans, and evaluation criteria tailored to specific client requirements and operational environments.
• After-Action Review (AAR) Process — Structured after-action reviews following every training exercise — identifying strengths, weaknesses, and specific improvement actions at the individual and team level. 

The training disciplines and standards described on this page reflect the internal capability PDG maintains. Many of these same programs are available to client organizations — individuals, security teams, corporations, government agencies, and NGOs — through PDG’s Security Training Services.

PDG offers open-enrollment courses, private group training, on-site training deployment, and fully custom program development for organizations seeking to build or improve their security training capability.  View Security Training Services & Course Catalog 

Engage a Team Trained to Military Standard

The training standards described on this page are not aspirational — they are the ongoing requirement for every PDG specialist supporting a client engagement. When you work with PDG, you engage a team that is currently trained, formally qualified, and operationally ready.  Schedule a Consultation, Submit a Request for Proposal (RFP), or View Our Services.