Diplomatic Security Service
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| Diplomatic Security Service | ||
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| Protecting Americans Around the World | ||
| Established | 1916 | |
| Jurisdiction | Visa fraud; Passport fraud; Counter-intelligence; Protection of the Secretary of State, |
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| Agents | 1,400 | |
| Special Units | Mobile Security Division | |
| Field Offices | 8 | |
| Resident Agencies | 15 |
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| Overseas Offices | 195 | |
| Director | Gregory B. Starr | |
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement officers at the same time, making them unique. Unlike all other civilian federal law enforcement officers, these DSS agents must serve multiple-year tours overseas on a regular basis as a condition of employment. A minority of DSS agents are members of the State Department's civil service, and do not serve tours overseas; they focus on criminal work and dignitary protection within the United States. All DSS agents have the power to arrest, carry firearms, and serve arrest warrants and other court process. The State Department's web site says that "Diplomatic Security does not formulate foreign policy. It plays another essential — yet behind the scenes — role: To provide a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Not only is Diplomatic Security a unique organization in the foreign affairs community — it is the only law enforcement agency with representation in nearly every country in the world".
When assigned to domestic field offices, DSS agents are responsible for conducting investigations into passport and visa fraud as well as providing protection for the United States Secretary of State and others. Overseas, DSS agents are called Regional Security Officers (RSOs), and are charged with the security and law enforcement duties at U.S. missions, embassies, and consular posts. The Diplomatic Security Service is the lead U.S. investigatory agency in cases of international terrorism, although this function may be detailed to the FBI. There are currently about 1,450 DS Special Agents.[1]
DSS agents are hired after an intensive evaluation process that includes a Foreign Service Board of Examiners writing evaluation, knowledge-based test, panel interview and situational judgment exercises carried out by veteran DS agents. Those selected undergo a comprehensive medical examination needed for worldwide availability, as well as an exhaustive background investigation for security clearance at the level of top secret/sensitive compartmentalized information. A final suitability review and vote by a Foreign Service panel evaluates a candidate's overall ability to represent the interests of the United States as a diplomat abroad.
After a new DSS agent is hired, he or she begins a eight-month training program that includes the Criminal Investigator Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, a Basic Special Agent Course at the Diplomatic Security Training Center, and courses at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia. A new agent is usually assigned to a domestic field office for two years before taking on an overseas assignment, although an agent can expect to be sent on frequent temporary duty assignments overseas even when assigned to a domestic post. However, agents may be called overseas much earlier depending on the needs of DSS. As members of the Foreign Service, agents are expected to spend most of their career living and working overseas, often in hazardous environments or less developed countries throughout the world.
DSS agents have been involved in the investigations of most terrorist attacks on U.S. interests overseas in the past twenty years, including the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and bombings of two U.S. Embassies in East Africa in 1998. Perhaps most notably, in 1995 DSS agents assigned to the U.S. embassy in Pakistan were involved, along with Pakistani police and intelligence, with arresting Ahmed Ramzi Yousef, who was wanted in connection with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City.[1]
DSS agents have often found themselves in harm's way with four agents and 28-contract security specialists killed in the line of duty as of July 2006. The vast majority of DSS casualties had taken place within the previous two years in Iraq where DSS continued to conduct its most critical and dangerous protective missions.
[edit] Protection work
DSS is the agency identified to accept high threat protection assignments around the globe. The largest permanent dignitary protection detail carried out by DSS agents is on the Secretary of State (currently Condoleezza Rice). DSS also has an ongoing protection detail on the United States Ambassador to the United Nations (Zalmay Khalilzad). Most all other 'details' are on visiting foreign dignitaries and diplomats, and are on a temporary basis for the duration of a dignitary's visit. Foreign Ministers from important nations, as well as those with threats, are typically covered by DSS. DSS has the authority to provide protection for Foreign Heads of State, and did so through the early 1970s. At that time there was an order signed by President Richard Nixon also giving this authority to the Secret Service, which has protected heads of state ever since. DSS agents have protected such people as Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Yasser Arafat, the Dalai Lama, and Boris Yeltsin (in the days preceding the collapse of the Soviet Union).[2] During the annual UN General Assembly in September, DSS, as well as the USSS, protect many dozens of varied dignitaries, mostly in New York City. DSS may also provide protection to others as assigned, including foreign persons without any government status, but who might have a threat against them. DSS also protects certain US Ambassadors overseas. Currently, the protection detail for the US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, is one of the largest critical threat protection details in the history of DSS. DSS has also protected or does protect the Presidents of Afghanistan, Haiti and Liberia. What makes these 'details' unique is that the protection, done by U.S. federal agents (DSS) is carried out overseas, in the protected person's home country.
[edit] Investigations/passport and visa fraud
DSS investigations, carried out by numerous Field Offices and Resident Agent offices throughout the U.S, and by RSOs overseas, focus mainly on passport or visa fraud. DSS Special Agents also investigate such cases as international parental kidnapping, violations of the Protect Act, assaults on federally protected persons, and counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations. If there is a nexus to diplomatic activities, the U.S. Foreign Service, or terrorism, DSS is typically involved.
It is a felony to apply or assist someone in applying for a U.S. passport or visa when they are not entitled to one. Usually this means an illegal alien in the U.S. trying to establish a false U.S. identity, or stealing the identity from an American, often one who has died. Sometimes Americans, including Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) are the target of DSS investigations, such as an FSO selling visas for personal gain. DSS also investigates other alleged improper or illegal behavior by Department of State personnel, to include incidents of espionage. Such cases would involve other agencies such as the Department of Justice. Overseas DSS must take the role of local and state law enforcement when investigating issues such as spousal or child abuse by US government personnel assigned to the embassy. This is because the host country will not investigate or prosecute diplomats, who are considered to have immunity from their laws. DSS also conducts tens of thousands of background investigations per year - not just for the Department of State, but for other federal agencies as well.
In recent years, DSS has expanded its overseas investigations program with ARSOI's (Assistant Regional Security Officer Investigators) also known as "Overseas Criminal Investigators." These agents are given special training in consular functions, and are commissioned consular officers, authorized to issue visas. However, they spend a large amount of their time working with the fraud units in consular sections, investigating visa and passport fraud, alien smuggling and human trafficking, although they have responsibilities outside of their respective Consular assignments for mission security. They work closely with host country law enforcement agencies, and have recently been instrumental in dismantling several large alien smuggling rings.
[edit] Computer Investigations & Forensics Branch
The DSS Computer Investigations and Forensics Branch (CIF) was established in 2004 to help DSS investigators confront a rapid increase in crimes involving computers and other electronic technologies affecting the Department of State's operations and security.
In 2005, DSS opened 218 investigations involving computer forensics, a 19 percent increase over 2004, and a 43 percent increase over 2003. DSS investigators have used computer forensics to uncover passport and visa fraud, counterintelligence matters, espionage and child pornography.
To accomplish its mission, CIF has built a highly skilled staff of Special Agents and civilian forensic examiners, network analysts, and evidence technicians who are specially trained and equipped to execute search warrants worldwide on electronic devices and storage media. CIF personnel analyze those items utilizing the latest forensic technology and methods to extract relevant electronic evidence.
[edit] Overseas service
Like all members of the Foreign Service, DSS agents cannot remain posted in the United States for more than five consecutive years and must eventually be assigned to an overseas post. Once assigned overseas, a DSS agent will typically serve first as a Special Agent (formerly, and commonly still, called Assistant Regional Security Officer (ARSO)) in a Regional Security Office. Agents that enjoy the overseas lifestyle will try and get a second tour in an SA slot at a large embassy or even possibly a Regional Security Officer (RSO) slot at a small post. Usually after two back-to-back overseas tours agents will be encouraged to return to the US and serve in a Headquarters position before returning overseas as a Regional Security Officer.
DSS has been expanding its criminal role overseas and now has many overseas fraud investigator positions. These positions are referred to as “I” positions - as in “Investigator” - and they are commonly referred to as ARSO-Is. These agents work out of the consular sections of embassies and consulates instead of the Regional Security Offices. The performance of these agents is rated by the consul general subject to a final review by the RSO.
There are several other overseas positions filled by DSS agents. At new building construction sites, agents will serve as the Site Security Manager where they will supervise the overall security of the new building including the Construction Security Technicians (CST) and Cleared American Guards (CAG). For construction at posts where there is a critical counterintelligence (CI) threat, agents will also serve as CI investigators dedicated to preventing compromise of the most sensitive spaces within the new embassy.
It is common for domestically assigned DSS agents to serve temporary duty (TDY) at Embassies overseas. Such duty can range from various types of protection duties to RSO support or security training for an overseas post, and may last for as little as a few days to multiple months.
[edit] History and relationship to the Department of State
The origins of the DSS go back to 1916 with a handful of agents assigned special duties directly by the Secretary of State, Robert Lansing. Headed by a Chief Special Agent, who was also called Special Assistant to the Secretary, these agents worked in Washington, D.C., and New York City. This group of agents would sometimes be referred to as the office of the Chief Special Agent. They were operated with private funds from the Secretary's office. Conducting sensitive investigations, they focused mainly on foreign agents and their activities in the United States (this in the days before the CIA).
It was known as the Bureau of Secret Intelligence at its inception (1916).[3] The assumption is that the name "Office of the Chief Special Agent," which was sometimes used in 1916, and to this day by various information portals to include the Department of State's website, to downplay the bureau's original mission.
After 1918, when Congress passed laws requiring passports for Americans returning from overseas, and visas for aliens entering the United States, State Department agents began investigating passport and visa fraud. Around this same time State Department agents began protecting distinguished visitors to the United States. During World War I the Chief Special Agent's office had the responsibility for interning and exchanging diplomatic officials of enemy powers. By the 1920s the Chief Special Agent, no longer reporting his office's activities directly to the Secretary of State, began reporting to the Assistant Secretary for Administration. Within the next two decades major passport fraud activities were detected worldwide, often involving both Communists and Nazis. Many of these fraud rings were exposed and stopped. During World War II, State Department agents were once again involved in interning and exchanging diplomatic officials of enemy powers. Around this time the Chief Special Agent's office became known as 'SY', which was short for the office of Security, which in turn was under the Admin. Bureau of the Management Undersecretary. After World War II, 'SY' began expanding its presence overseas, with numerous RSO positions created in overseas posts.
In the decades since then, 'SY' began regularly protecting visiting heads of state, and codifying its procedures for overseas security. However, the number of agents remained relatively small through the 1970s, hovering around 300, with more than half of these serving overseas at any given time. The April 1983 US Embassy bombing was a catharsis for 'SY', which would transform 'SY' into the newly created Diplomatic Security Service, part of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Congress formed a commission headed by Admiral Inman to look into the bombings of U.S. Diplomatic facilities in Beirut. The resultant Inman Report recommended that security at the State Department needed to be elevated to a higher priority. Thus in 1985 Congress created the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, headed by an Assistant Secretary of State. The DSS, technically a sub unit of DS, had a director placed at its head. The Director of DSS is a DSS agent, and is often referred to by a term more familiar: the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), as he/she is senior to the various Assistant Directors of Diplomatic Security who hold positions equivalent to Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS). The PDAS designation signifies the DSS director's preeminence over the other DASs within DS, while at the same time signifying his/her position under the Assistant Secretary for DS. The first several Assistant Secretaries for DS were senior Foreign Service Officers, the last three have been senior law enforcement, brought in from other law enforcement agencies. With the creation of DS and the DSS, its ranks grew to well over 1,000 agents. However, by the mid 90s budget cutbacks were foisted on the U.S. State Department by Congress and the Department in turn trimmed the budget of DSS to the point where it had dwindled to a little over 600 agents. At the time this seemed justified by Department hierarchy who thought DS was growing much too fast in over-reaction to the Beirut bombings.
Although DS was by then a Bureau within the State Department, overseas the vast majority of RSOs continued to report to the Admin officer. This changed in 1999, as fallout from the east Africa embassy bombings of 1998. The terse message from the then Undersecretary for Management announcing the immediate change made it clear that this action was against his best judgment and insinuated that it was done because then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ordered it. This change stripped DS out from under Admin officers and placed the RSO directly under the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in the chain of command at an Embassy.
In recent years the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), although not autonomous from the U.S. State Department, has been given more leeway in handling its own affairs. The Diplomatic Security Service is by far the largest sub unit of DS, and is considered its heart and core. Budgetary approvals and allocations and hiring and promotion numbers for DS and DSS still must be cleared through the U.S. State Department. Traditionally DS, and more specifically the Diplomatic Security Service, has had a conflicted relationship with its parent agency, the U.S. State Department. The main mission of the U.S. State Department is not law enforcement, but is of course diplomacy. Having a law enforcement arm has not been an easy fact for the State Department culture to accept. In fact, for a number of years DS was told specifically by the State Department that it was not a law enforcement agency, and the title of Foreign Service Diplomatic Security officer was emphasized while the title of Special Agent was downplayed. The State Department now more readily accepts the 'special agent' terminology.
Looking at its history it becomes apparent there is a pattern of forced changes in relation to security for the U.S. State Department and its facilities overseas (American embassies and consulates). Often this change is the result of a serious incident, such as a terrorist attack on a U.S. mission. Since 1999 and especially after the creation of the U.S. embassies in Kabul and Baghdad there seems to be an increasing acceptance and desire by State Department hierarchy to fully embrace and support the goals of the Diplomatic Security Service. Likewise, DS has been allowed a greater degree of independent action in administering itself and has been allowed to hire new agents at a rate that keeps overall numbers from slipping downward.
[edit] DS vs. DSS
For people who do not work for the Department of State (DOS), there is much confusion about the relationship between the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). Within DOS there is little confusion, most employees not part of DS do not even realize there is a distinct difference between DS and DSS.
Within DOS, all employees who work for DS (the bureau) are referred to as DS employees. Even within DSS, agents refer to themselves as DS Agents. This usage is also used in DOS press releases, although recently multi-agency press releases from the US Attorney’s offices use the technically correct Diplomatic Security Service.
Things get muddled even further when one looks at the assignments available to DSS agents. Agents are frequently assigned to positions within DS (the bureau) but outside of the DSS chain of command hierarchy. This may seem a little counterintuitive but is a common practice within the Department of State. For example while assigned overseas, DOS employees are evaluated by their superiors at the embassy or consulate to which they are assigned. In the case of DSS agents, the RSO (senior agent at post) is rated by the Deputy Chief of Mission and reviewed by the Chief of Mission. The DSS hierarchy in Washington has no input on the agent’s evaluation. This is only a technicality however; as agents frequently receive instructions from HQ and all agents know that going against HQ can have a detrimental effect on a career.
[edit] Directors
- Clark Ditmer
- Mark Mulvey (1994-1996)
- Greg Bujac (1996-1999)
- Peter Bergin (1999 - 2003)
- Joe B. Morton (2003 - 2007)
- Gregory B. Starr (2007 - present)
[edit] Weapons used by agents
Standard Issue
- SIG P228 in 9 mm (pistol)
- SIG P229 in 9 mm (pistol)
- Remington 870 (12 gauge shotgun)
- Colt SMG (9mm submachine gun)
- Colt M4 (.223 automatic rifle)
Former weapons included the Uzi submachine gun and the Ruger Mini-14 carbine. Stockless or 'shorty' versions of the Remington 870 shotgun may still be found in some DSS offices. DSS agents used to carry the Smith & Wesson Model 19 revolver (357 cal.), but switched to 9 mm pistols around 1993.
Additional Issue
These and other weapons systems may be employed by DSS agents assigned to high-threat locations. The agents going to those locations attend additional training before they are deployed.
[edit] Fictional references to DSS
- 1992 — Patriot Games (film) starring Harrison Ford.
- 1998 — U.S. Marshals (film) starring Tommy Lee Jones.
- 1998 — Snake Eyes (film) starring Nicolas Cage.
- 1999 — Diplomatic Siege (film) starring Peter Weller.
- 2005 — The Rapids (book) author Carla Neggers
- 2006 — Second in Command (film) starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
- 17 October 2006 — The Unit (TV Series) - Episode - "Force Majeure". The Unit is sent into a hurricane to rescue a brutal dictator while posing as Diplomatic Security special agents.
- 2006 — The Cuchara Chronicles (book) by Gary L. Bridges (Xlibris.com)
- 2007 — Out of Purgatory: The Chronicles Continue; (book) by Gary L. Bridges (Xlibris.com)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b State's Security Bureau Takes on Expanded Role, Washington Post article by Robin Wright (7 September 2004).
- ^ infromation on protection work from State Department web site Retrieved on July 16, 2007
- ^ Sources: Washington Post, Sept 7, 2004, State's Security Bureau...by Robin Wright; (Book) 2002 Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists, Samuel M. Katz.
[edit] Sources
- 1999 — On the Inside (Discovery Channel TV show) - State Department Protectors (Knightscenes Productions)
- 2000 — Investigative Reports (A&E TV show) - In the Line of Fire (44 Blue Productions)
- 2001 — Badges Without Borders (TLC TV show) - Inside the Diplomatic Security Service (Red Apple Entertainment Productions)
- 2002 — Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists [1], Samuel M. Katz
- 2004 — True Warriors (History Channel TV Show) - Escape from Liberia (Wild Eyes Productions)
- 2005 — Heroes Under Fire (History Channel TV Show) - Caught in the Middle (Wild Eyes Productions)
- 2006 — Critical Threat — Life in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (Wild Eyes Productions)
- 2007 — A Mighty Heart (film) - RSO Randall Bennett leads the team investigating Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder.
