U.S. Secret Service agents at the James J. Rowley Training Center (RTC) in Laurel, Maryland, were in for a treat last Wednesday. A car carrier rolled up bearing 10 new toys: Cadillac CT4 sedans, Cadillac CT5 sedans, Corvettes, a Cadillac Escalade, a Chevrolet Colorado, a Chevrolet Tahoe with a police package, and a Chevy Suburban. No, President Donald Trump isn’t rolling in a Corvette during his next parade. These are for training only.

The supercars and trucks were “provided as part of a public-private partnership with GM.” The Secret Service admits: “Following the delivery, the mood at RTC was particularly upbeat.” You don’t say?

So why does President Trump’s Secret Service need Corvettes and multiple Cadillac Blackwings? Honestly, it looks like GM offered, and the USSS wasn’t going to say no. But these new vehicles have given its training officers some ideas.

Teaching new Secret Service agents to drive stick

Agents in the United States Secret Service train to assess and counter threats. This means they must have great observation skills and be proficient with a variety of weapons. But an increasing number of them may arrive for training without one basic skill: driving a stick-shift vehicle.

Mark Armstrong, RTC driving instructor, said, “Not everyone is able to operate a manual shift.”

Cadillac’s Blackwing sports sedans are some of the only vehicles still available with a manual transmission in the United States. But the configuration is much more common abroad. And of course, the Secret Service travels the world with the president and other politicians. Armstrong added, “Having that platform here will enable us to give instruction on how to drive manual vehicles for overseas trips.”

Training the Secret Service for a range of scenarios

A presidential convoy attacked by a team in Chevrolet Corvettes? Yeah, it seems more like a scene from The Fast and The Furious than real life. But knowing how to counter bad actors in smaller, nimbler cars is probably a good thing to drill. Why? Because pretty much everyone drives something smaller and nimbler than the armored SUVs the Secret Service uses.

A more realistic scenario might be fending off a threat in midsize pickup trucks. That’s a nearly ubiquitous vehicle the world over. Well, now the Secret Service has one of those—a Chevy Colorado—to run scenarios with.

Now, when agents arrive for a day of driving training, they must be prepared for anything. The Secret Service added: “They may be expecting a (police) SUV, and all of a sudden, one of these vehicles rolls up.”

Scott Simons, Special Agent in Charge of RTC, said, “Because each vehicle handles differently in any given situation, exposure to new cars will challenge instructors and give them an opportunity to develop more realistic training scenarios.”

The Secret Service concluded, “Testing and training with these automobiles will better help our instructors tailor future approaches that take into consideration evolving technology and capabilities of modern vehicles.”

What’s in it for General Motors?

Why would General Motors give or lease 10 high-dollar vehicles to the United States Secret Service? The USSS said it was given the GM vehicles “to support ongoing research and testing of new automotive technology.” It alluded to providing feedback on the technology integrated into its new vehicles.

GM also enjoys the lucrative contract to provide all the armored SUVs to the Secret Service and the custom “Beast” limousine the president uses during parades. President Donald Trump recently met with GM’s CEO and reportedly discussed this contract. Shortly after, head of the USSS—Director Sean Curran—visited Detroit to see how the presidential limousine redesign is coming along. He may have taken the opportunity to request upgraded training vehicles.

GM Defense President Steve duMont said “GM is committed to ensuring that the brave men and women who protect our national security and our government institutions have the best equipment to improve their training and to execute their critical mission.” You can see the new USSS vehicles in action in the video embedded below: