User:LavaBaron/sandbox/GroundForceOne
| Bus Force One | |
|---|---|
 Barack Obama boards the bus in 2011 | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Bus |
| Manufacturer | jdkfjd |
| Production | 2011 |
Bus Force One, sometimes Ground Force One or the Presidential Battle Bus, is an unofficial term used to refer to one of two armored buses owned and operated by the United States Secret Service and used to transport the President of the United States and other dignitaries.
Role
[edit]The president of the United States generally uses a specially designed armored limousine informally known as "the Beast" to travel to ground destinations. "Bus Force One" is employed during overland journeys to remote areas of the United States when helicopter travel is not practical, or when stops at a large number of destinations during a single trip are planned.
National Ground Mobile Command Center (NGMCC)
[edit]In the 1980s the U.S. Army developed a concept for a National Ground Mobile Command Center (NGMCC), colloquially known as a "doomsday truck". Doomsday trucks, which are reportedly 18-wheel armored vehicles, are designed to give the president of the United States continuous mobility on the U.S. interstate highway system in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic nuclear attack against the United States, allowing the president to safely move through a devastated and irradiated landscape while simultaneously issuing commands to U.S. nuclear weapons forces through an on-board, secure communications system. Doomsday trucks were, or are, prepositioned in areas of the United States expected to survive an initial nuclear volley.
The specifications of the NGMCCs have not been divulged. However, other secured big rigs developed for the U.S. government, such as those used by the Office of Secure Transport, are known to have sophisticated integrated weapons systems nature that allow the vehicles to autonomously defend themselves and repel attackers even if all crew members have been killed. While the nature of the weapons deployed in these vehicles has not been publicized, it's believed they include 40 millimeter cannons.[1]
The United States Secret Service formerly used rented buses as part of the presidential motorcade, with retro-fitting for secure communications where necessary. In August 2011 the Secret Service introduced a new permanent addition to the federal government's fleet, initially for use by Barack Obama in the campaign leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election. The newly designed model X3-45 VIP 3 axle shell was designed by Quebec, Canada-based specialist firm Prevost Car, and then fitted out by Hemphill Brothers Coach Company in Nashville, Tennessee, to provide 505 square feet (46.9 m2) of interior space, including flashing police-style red and blue lights on the front and the back. It was then further outfitted by the Secret Service with secure communications and other specialized equipment. The two buses cost $1.1 million each, and were leased from Hemphill Brothers during the administration of President Barack Obama.[2]
The coaches are part of the federal government fleet and are painted plain black. A second bus was used by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the campaign leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election, and then deployed as a back-up for visiting dignitaries.
Defenses
[edit]Based on an analysis of known defensive mechanisms in other presidential ground transports, the Christian Science Monitor has speculated that the vehicle, whose schematics are not publicized for security reasons, is probably outfitted with armor plating, bulletproof glass, an automated CBRN defense system, chassis-mounted tear gas projectors to repel aggressive crowds, and night-vision cameras.[3]
See also
[edit]
- Federal vehicle fleet
- List of official vehicles of the President of the United States
- Official state car
- Presidential state car (United States)
References
[edit]- ^ Weinstein, Alan (13 February 2012). "Nuclear Weapons on a Highway Near You". Mother Jones. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ Robert Farley (25 August 2011). "Obama's Canadian-American Bus". FactCheck. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Richardson, Chris (17 August 2011). "$1.1 million bus used by Obama has high-tech defenses – but what are they?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
