US President Joe Biden reaches Brussels this evening for a 48-hours visit that will see him attend NATO and EU summits. But the vast array of security measures that the visit entails come at a huge price check.
According to reports, the president’s whistle-stop tour of the city will be accompanied by around 50 vehicles and 500 to 1,000 staff members, costing an estimated €6.8 million. After some number crunching, this works out at €142,080 per hour or €2,368 per minute.
Biden will fly to Europe in the Air Force One – a Boeing 747s fitted with an office, restaurant and gym. He will touch down in Melsbroek on Wednesday evening. An identical copy of the plane will be flying alongside to put potential terrorists on the wrong track, as it is impossible to know which one contains the US President.
Air traffic in Zaventem and Melsbroek will be closed minutes before and after his landing, after which Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will welcome Biden on the tarmac.
He will be transported and accompanied by some 50 vehicles, reportedly including an ambulance with fresh blood of Biden’s blood type. The main vehicle, with two identical versions, is the Cadillac One, also known as “The Beast”.
The €1 million heavily-armoured limousines are resistant to chemical attacks and rockets and can fire hand grenades. The limousines are followed by the rest of the vehicles, among which the Secret Service’s SUVs with open trunks, allowing agents to shoot wherever and whenever necessary.
