Inside the massive NYC security operation for UN General Assembly
New York City NY Sept 26 2018
Teams of federal agents are huddled in a high-rise hotel over Midtown watching over the city’s shoreline and streets to provide a phalanx of security for the annual United Nations General Assembly this week.
On an entire floor of a Manhattan hotel, teams of federal agents are monitoring cameras that look onto the East River near the United Nations building and around city streets where international officials and dignitaries have gathered.
“What you’re looking at right here is primarily the dignitary protection (the State Department’s) command center — operations center for the United Nations General Assembly,” Arthur Balek, director of the Department of State’s Office of Protection, said during an exclusive tour. “This is for the diplomats who are coming to the U.N.”
The agency that protects the foreign dignitaries also is responsible for the protection of foreign missions, embassies and consulates in the United States. Officials with the State Department said months of planning had gone into the United Nations General Assembly this week.
“I don’t think we’re looking at an ISIS-type attack,” Balek said when asked about his concerns. “It’s not Baghdad where we’re looking at mortars coming in. … But there’s that lone person out there that’s agitated, the lone gunman if you will, that you really can’t follow and plan for. So, while we’ve got all these elements that are planned for and we’re tracking in and out there’s always that person who may slip through.”
His boss, Assistant Director for Domestic Operations at Diplomatic Security Service Rick Colon, said the agency is managing about 50 protective details in the city during UNGA.
“The large part of the mission domestically is to provide protection to foreign dignitaries that come to the United States,” he said. “There are months of planning that go into this. We’re on a 9-month planning cycle. We work extremely close with the NYPD and all our federal partners to put together the layers you see around the city. This is a large city so we try to minimize impact as much as possible.”
The State Department has about 800 people in the city — with special agents and support staff. Most of them are armed.
“Our Mobil Security Deployment team, known as MSD, is our more highly trained group of agents that come out,” Balek said, describing the armed agents that travel in SUVs. “They have specialized training in counter-terrorism.”
Colon says all the planning and collaboration puts his mind at ease when it comes to UNGA.
“I think we’ve got a great team here throughout the city, and that’s part of what gives me a comfort level that should something occur that we’ve got all the pieces in place and the level of coordination that’s required to work together as one integrated team to be able to address anything significant that happens here in the city.”
NY Post
