ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Digital WatermarkingTelephone Recording LawsTelephone ScramblerDigital Watermarking.SEE Steganography.Diplomatic Security (DS),United States Bureau❚ CARYN E. NEUMANNThe Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) is the law enforcementand security arm of the United States Department ofState. Created on November 4, 1985, it bears responsibilityfor ensuring the safety of Americans who are servingtheir government in embassies and consulates overseasas well as protecting foreign dignitaries who visit theUnited States. It also investigates crimes involving passportand visa fraud.Diplomats traditionally have given little concern tosecurity. Aware of this shortcoming and the increasingrisks of terrorism, the secretary of state convened anAdvisory Panel on Overseas Security under the chairmanshipof retired Admiral Bobby R. Inman. The 1985 InmanReport warned that growing security demands at homeand abroad required the Department of State to establisha professional law enforcement service with its own structurefor personnel recruitment, advancement, and assignment.In light of the danger of mob attacks and terroristsabotage upon U.S. embassies, the panel also recommendedthat more physically secure sites and buildingsreplace a large number of diplomatic facilities around theworld. The new service would initiate and direct thisrelocation and building program.Upon its creation, DS began providing protectivedetails based on the level of threat to selected foreignofficials within the U.S as well as to American ambassadorsand other officials overseas. It does not protect visitingheads of state but, in response to specific threatsmade against them, will guard foreign missions in the U.S.through agreements with state and local law enforcementauthorities. On the average, DS participates in more than150 foreign and domestic dignitary details each year. Bythe mid-1990s, DS personnel had thwarted twenty-twoassassinations in progress, eighteen of them overseas.The service also evacuated embassies in nations on theverge of collapse.To monitor and analyze all international and domesticterrorism matters, DS relies upon Intelligence andThreat Analysis (ITA) to link with the U.S. intelligencecommunity. Besides issuing a classified Daily SecurityBrief to senior DS and State Department officers, ITAproduces two annual publications. Significant Incidents ofPolitical Violence against Americans is a narrative andstatistical compendium of all acts of terrorism and politicalviolence against U.S. interests in a given year. TerroristTactics and Security Procedures offers case studies ofspecific terrorist attacks or security developments thataffect the safety of Americans abroad. ITA also distributesthe semiannual Security Environment Threat List (SETL),which helps DS prioritize resource allocation by categorizingpolitical risks and crime at all U.S. missions overseas.DS also attempts to deter the efforts of foreign intelligenceagencies to compromise U.S. employees. It investigatescrimes involving passport and visa fraud whileexamining the backgrounds of employees, applicants,contractors, and others who seek access to Department ofState information or facilities. Additionally, the serviceinvestigates personnel security matters with counterintelligenceramifications in conjunction with the NationalCounterintelligence Center.DS generally receives little notice and is probablybest known for its regular bulletins of security suggestionsfor U.S. business representatives overseas. By workingwith the Department of State’s Overseas Security AdvisoryCouncil as well as American embassies and consulates,it provides current information about precautions that canprovide some degree of protection by serving as psychologicaland practical deterrents to would-be terrorists.This information includes warnings about new crime strategies,such as kidnappers who first appear as vendorsoperating carts across from the homes of Americans, aswell as time-honored advice like recommendations tovary daily travel routes.The volume of DS investigations has steadily increasedeach year. In light of the current high risk ofterrorist activity, the demand for DS service will likelycontinue to grow.❚ FURTHER READING:BOOKS:Katz, Samuel M. Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and theManhunt for the al-Qaeda Terrorists. New York: TomDoherty Associates, 2002.Smith, G. Davidson. Combating Terrorism. New York:Routledge, 1990.United States Department of State, Bureau of DiplomaticSecurity. Countering Terrorism: Security Suggestionfor U.S. Business Representatives Abroad. Washington,D.C.: Department of State, 1999.ELECTRONIC:United States Department of State. ”Bureau of DiplomaticSecurity.“ March 29, 2003 (March 29, 2003).SEE ALSOArchitecture and Structural Security330 Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security