How to Become a Diplomatic Security Special Agent

Diplomatic security agents are some of the best trained and sharpest security agents in government or industry. Either hailing from military special operations units or receiving training to get to that level, a career as a diplomatic security agent puts you among the security elite. Follow these steps to become a diplomatic security agent.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Start with the State Department. The primary entrance into a career in diplomatic security is through the State Department, or the national equivalent of other countries. The State Department runs its own security service of elite agents. To start the process of becoming an agent contact the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

2. Qualify for training. Just to get your foot in the door, you need to meet a strict set of qualifications set by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. For starters, you must be a U.S. citizen (or, in general, a citizen of whichever country's security service you want to work for). Additionally, the State Department requires that you have a bachelor's degree, be in top physical condition and have no serious medical issues. Check the "Career Opportunities" section of the State Department's website for a full list of qualifications.

3. Go through training. Training to become a diplomatic security agent is anything but light. The basic training is six months of intensive study and preparation in force protection, criminal investigation, surveillance, first aid and a host of other skills needed for the job. Training requires that you relocate to Washington, D.C., followed by a stint in Georgia, so be ready to move around a little to become an agent.

4. Pass all exams and start on the ground floor. Once you pass all your examinations and qualifications from training, you can start working as a diplomatic security agent with the State Department. If you have dreams of flying off to the Middle East or Asia immediately after your training, think again. Your first major assignment is domestic, during which you'll probably spend the better part of two years stateside learning the on-the-ground skills you need to be an agent.

Resources

• State Department's Career Page

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[toutnop]

on 4/22/2008 This article is pretty stupid, it just generalizes the data provided by the DSS official site. The person who wrote it is obviously not speaking from experience and so the gruff attitude is hard to justify, when dealing with a nameless, faceless, unqualified author. "Training to become a diplomatic security agent is anything but light." Really? Is that way up until a few years ago there was no physical requirement whatsoever?