The Trump administration has embarked on a bold and controversial plan to streamline and downsize the federal government, in part by eliminating newer federal employee positions. In his executive order from Feb. 11, he lays out the parameters of the review and downsizing by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but has clear exclusions for military personnel as well as “any position they deem necessary to meet national security, homeland security, or public safety responsibilities” or other necessary exemptions.
Despite those clear exceptions, it seems at least one department has not excepted its law enforcement personnel, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
DSS personnel are the proverbial “tip of the spear” when it comes to international diplomacy and emergency response. This very small agency, established in 1985 in response to a number of terrorist attacks and threats around the world including the deadly 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, operates in every corner of the globe. It has been responsible for helping evacuate U.S. personnel in Kabul as well as helping locate and identify Americans held hostage by Hamas.
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