DSS Minimum Special Agent Requirements

You must meet the following requirements at the time of application:

• Be a U.S. citizen and available for worldwide service.
• 4-Year Degree
• At least 20 years old and not older than 36 years.
• Fit for physical exertion and pass a pre-employment physical readiness test.
• Able to obtain/maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance and TS/SCI access.
• Able to obtain an appropriate Foreign Service Medical Clearance.
• Able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.

Special Agents must be willing and able to travel extensively, and on short notice, throughout the world using whatever means available.  Traveling and assignments abroad may involve working in remote areas where traditional comforts and medical facilities are limited.  SAs may be required to travel to locations of civil unrest, where conditions are potentially hostile, and where performance of duties are conducted under hazardous circumstances.

DSS - Then & Now

Dating back to the origins of diplomacy and related security problems, this 88 page document is a fascinating historical overview of the rich history behind the modern day Diplomatic Security Service.  Additionally, the 1985 Secretary of State Advisory Panel on Overseas Security Report (aka "The Iman Report") was vital to establishing the modern day version of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.   

What to Expect at DSS

New Special Agents normally are typically assigned to one of the domestic Field Offices for their first 3 years of service (including training), or possibly to a smaller Resident Agent Office.  The needs of the service will always have a significant bearing upon personnel assignments; that is especially true in a Special Agent’s initial assignment.  After the initial duty assignment, Special Agents are expected to serve a substantial portion of their careers living and working abroad and can expect to rotate every few years between an overseas assignment and a domestic office/Washington DC.

Domestically, Special Agents may be assigned to provide protective services for the Secretary of State, and other U.S. officials, or visiting foreign dignitaries.  Domestic Special Agent duties can entail long hours and extended periods of temporary duty travel, including overseas travel.  Domestic assignments include criminal investigations related primarily to the enforcement of statutes protecting the integrity of U.S. passports and entry visa documents.  Special Agents may also conduct background investigations for individuals desiring employment with the Department of State, or updating the security clearances of Department of State employees.

When assigned abroad, Special Agents serve as security program managers at U.S. diplomatic or consular posts.  At Foreign Service posts, Diplomatic Security Special Agents are referred to as Regional Security Officers, and are responsible for the administration of a broad range of security services to protect Foreign Service personnel, facilities, operations, and information against foreign intelligence, criminal, and terrorist activities.  The Bureau of Diplomatic Security also conducts overseas investigations for the Department of State and other federal agencies.

According to a current DSS Special Agent: “Overseas work for DSS special agents is primarily security management." Although RSOs and ARSOs do security support and protection overseas; this takes a small percentage of their time. ARSOs generally focus on managing the guard force, bodyguards, and Marine Security Detachment.  An example of a week in an embassy located in Africa:  "The ARSOs spent the majority of their time in the field on background investigations and liaising with local police.  The RSO stayed at the embassy and managed security preparations in response to political or criminal changes in the country; responded to a threat against a U.S. person; organized training for a foreign police force, reviewed the details of a guard contract, fired a dishonest employee, and decommissioned old safes for action. “

Podcasts about Diplomatic Security Service

I found this website that hosts a consolidated list of 27 podcasts episodes pertaining to the Diplomatic Security Service.  It is an excellent way to learn more about the DSS Mission. 

Consolidated Podcast Site Link

2019 Iraq U.S.

Embassy Attack

On December 31, 2019, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq sustained a protracted assault over 36 hours, perpetrated by

over 3000 members of one of Iraq’s heavily armed militia groups upset about recent US military actions. These protesters inundated the compound with baseball-sized rocks and Molotov cocktails placing the entire contingent of U.S. personnel and third-country nationals under direct threat. The agents put out fires which prevented fuel tanks from going ablaze, evacuated the guard force and other employees just in time before the building they were in was engulfed in flames, and fortified the gates preventing additional intruders from gaining access to the compound. As the day progressed, the protesters threw combustible material over the wall landing at the bottom of the watch towers which smoked U.S. personnel out of the towers. At the same time, the protestors pulled down the Embassy’s cameras around the perimeter. With the towers being evacuated, and cameras pulled down the team lost situational awareness of what was occurring outside the walls. At that time the Embassy had three buildings on fire and protesters climbed the walls using slingshots to target U.S. personnel with marbles and rocks complicating any response. Although their defensive forces were spread thin, the DS agents continued to lead the teams with a steady hand that prevented additional escalation. The actions of the six DS agents throughout the attack prevented serious bodily harm and death to U.S. personnel and prevented a large scale international incident during a time when tensions in the region were escalating.  Read More