DSS prepares for its security role at the NATO Summit

When the NATO Summit takes place in Washington, D.C., July 9-11, the event will be the culmination of extensive security planning by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).

Months of planning and preparation with local and federal law enforcement partners; city, state, and federal agencies; and critical private industry partners have gone into the U.S. Secret Service-led event.?DSS has set up an operations center dedicated to managing DSS dignitary protection and security operations during the Summit, and frequent communication and collaboration within the law enforcement community are critical elements of the security plans.

But the DSS role in NATO planning is only one of several major national and international security-related events coming up during the next few months. DSS began planning for NATO in January while simultaneously helping with the coordination of five other National Special Security Events that include: the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 79, the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and the 2025 Presidential Inauguration.

“DSS has put forth a tremendous effort to help ensure a safe and secure environment for the NATO Summit,” said Assistant Secretary Gentry Smith.? “At the same time, we continue to support the U.S. Department of State’s critical foreign policy efforts abroad, travel and protection for State Department officials and other personnel, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the visit of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, and other security-related events.”

DSS will protect approximately 48 foreign ministers and other dignitaries during the NATO Summit. Hundreds of personnel will support protection operations during the Summit, including personnel from various DSS directorates and offices. Special agents and others from the DSS Washington Field Office have dedicated hundreds of hours to site advances for NATO-scoped venues.

The NATO Summit marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the NATO Treaty in 1949. ?With the theme ‘Defending our Future,’ NATO, a political and military alliance, welcomes two new members this year:? Sweden and Finland.

The 2024 NATO Summit is the first held in the United States since 2012, when the U.S. hosted the NATO Summit in Chicago, Illinois.