While the Rhino Guard was getting plenty of counter terrorism training from the special forces helping provide security at the IAC, one surprising offer of help came from the "latecomers" to the IAC security, the Russian Spetznaz.
No one really knew why Russia would be interested in this, but there was a theory that they were getting tired of being portrayed as villains in many American movies and/or video games. As it would turn out, many of the negative views of communism/socialism were brought about by men like Josef Stalin and his "followers". Another theory was the old Buddhist teaching "If he can do it, I can do it too and maybe I can learn from it."
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A lot of the training for the Rhino Guard involved martial arts training, especially for those who would be considered part of the "Vanguard Division." These were Animalians whose thick hides and built muscles made more effective armor than what was currently used by paramilitary forces, not to say that such armor was disregarded completely.
Other Animalians, especially those with superior senses and/or flight, were trained in extreme long-range sniping. As it turned out, it was really hard to see snipers that were high in the sky. Also, bullets were a lot more lethal and surprising when aided by terminal velocity physics.
Another division of the Rhino Guard was the "Stealth Division". These Animalians had special adaptations that enabled them to avoid detection by enemy forces. For example, leopard gecko Animalians had special adaptations that enabled them to climb sheer surfaces. Such Animalians got special training to climb through air ducts without making noise. Others, such as Mike, had extremely flexible bodies that enabled them to slip through tight spaces easily (Mike didn't know about his new abilities until a skateboarding accident that would usually result in a broken wrist didn't hurt him at all. Afterwards, he found that he could bend his thumb backwards, bend his hand back toward his forearm, put his legs behind his head, and other contortionist acts that would otherwise take years of training to accomplish.).
One inspiration for the special training were the James Bond novels, started by Ian Fleming, and continued by others. Another were real life missions undertaken during the Cold War by the CIA, but many parts of those remained classified. Another thing that helped with the training was a traveling exhibit that not only differentiated "real" spies from "fictional" spies, but allowed some interaction to track down a special, yet fictional, computer system called "C.R.O.W.N.". But one really surprising special training inspiration was the real life war memories of Daniel Richardson.
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While many Animalians found violence upsetting, many new members of the Rhino Guard were actually human members of other organizations who underwent conversion in order to help bolster their ranks and had no problems dealing with violence. A good six or seven decided to become double dosed Northern White Rhinoceroses to help rebuild the species, so to speak.
Another thing that was discovered was that, while many Animalians in the Rhino Guard had natural weapons capable of defending themselves, sometimes firearms were necessary for defense. These had to be completely redesigned for the larger fingers and/or the greater strength of the Animalians.
Another thing that was found out was that many Animalians criticized many spy weapons and gadgets, real or fictional, as being 'not very practical.' This would inspire many spy weapon manufacturers (not that there are any we know of) to create weapons that were both stealthy and practical.
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One thing that was mandatory teaching for all those who become members of the Rhino Guard was that killing hostiles was a tactic of last resort. But when all was said and done, after their training was complete, the Rhino Guard was one of the most skilled and trained counter terrorism/paramilitary/poacher neutralizing force in the world.