Diplomatic Security Service

The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the principal law enforcement and security agency of the United States Department of State (DOS). Its primary mission is to protect diplomatic assets, personnel, and information, and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud. DSS also conducts counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybersecurity and criminal investigations domestically and abroad. Originating in diplomatic security measures implemented during the First World War, DSS was formally established in 1985 following the deadly 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. It is the leading U.S. law enforcement agency abroad and the most widely deployed in the world, protecting 275 U.S. diplomatic missions in over 170 countries and in more than thirty U.S. cities. As employees of the U.S. State Department, DSS special agents are unique in U.S. federal law enforcement for also being members of the Foreign Service. The service's most visible activity is providing security to the U.S. secretary of state, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and other senior diplomats. As part of its duty to provide a safe and secure environment for U.S. diplomacy, DSS also protects foreign dignitaries visiting the United States, advises U.S. ambassadors on security matters, and manages security programs for international events, often in cooperation with domestic and foreign counterparts.