page_title: Mobile Security Deployment
section_title: Assignments
hierarchical_section_title: Mobile Security Deployment / Assignments
caption_attribution_description: English: MSD Agent exiting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC
context_page_description: The Office of Mobile Security Deployments is a small, specialized unit within the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service of the United States Department of State. MSD is composed of specially trained Diplomatic Security Service Special Agents that typically operate in high-threat environments with little outside support.
  Their assignment is the protection of members of the U.S. federal government overseas, particularly at U.S. embassies and consulates. Fighting kidnapping and terrorism are part of their duties, as well as protection and evacuation of U.S. citizens out of crisis areas and training of personnel in foreign countries.
  MSD also augments other DSS agents in high-threat or high-profile protection missions.
  MSD is based in Dunn Loring, Virginia and consists of a headquarters element, tactical medical staff, training cadre, logistic staff, and 12 operational teams with six agents each. The team's three primary missions are:
  Mobile Training Teams, hold classes for local law enforcement at embassies and consulates, U.S. Marine Corps Security Guards and select foreign personnel.
context_section_description: Diplomatic Security MSD agents were involved in Bosnia and Liberia protecting U.S. diplomatic missions and arresting terrorists, as well as the investigation of terrorists bombings in a United States Army barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1996 and the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.  More recent missions have included operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Pakistan, Jamaica, and in various other countries conducting MTTs such as Mexico.
  On May 16, 2019 agents from multiple teams entered the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC at the request of the Venezuelan Interim President, Juan Guaido, to remove American citizens who had barricaded themselves inside the embassy for 37 days to prevent the interim government from moving in.
caption: MSD agent exiting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC on May 16, 2019
exif: {"Image ExifOffset": "246", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 2, 0, 0]", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[38, 54, 1413/100]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[77, 3, 3027/100]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "1", "GPS GPSAltitude": "59/10", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[13, 39, 55]", "GPS GPSDOP": "2897/100", "GPS GPSProcessingMethod": "[65, 83, 67, 73, 73, 0, 0, 0, 102, 117, 115, 101, 100]", "GPS GPSDate": "2019:05:16", "Image GPSInfo": "24835", "Image ImageWidth": "4032", "Image ImageLength": "3024", "Image Make": "Google", "Image Model": "Pixel 3 XL", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "HDR+ 1.0.244457938zry", "Image DateTime": "2019:05:16 09:39:55", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Thumbnail ImageWidth": "252", "Thumbnail ImageLength": "189", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "25215", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "10755", "EXIF ExposureTime": "277/250000", "EXIF FNumber": "9/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "62", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2019:05:16 09:39:55", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2019:05:16 09:39:55", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "491/50", "EXIF ApertureValue": "17/10", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "36/5", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "17/10", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "1277/500", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "111/25", "EXIF SubSecTime": "859485", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "859485", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "859485", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4032", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3024", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "24805", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Custom", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "279/50", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "27", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "2"}