 American embassies in Kabul, Afghanistan are this morning. Right now, there are hundreds of protesters in the attack in Benghazi Libya that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. As a result of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, the United States of America has taken a concerted effort to protect its diplomatic facilities and its mission personnel worldwide. The Marine Corps Embassy Security Group and the Diplomatic Security Service celebrated the 70-year partnership between the Marine Corps and State Department late last year. We have a historical relationship with the Marines that goes back to even before they were the U.S. Marines, they were the Continental Marines in 1779. We're comfortable with that history. We're comfortable because we know what Marines can do. Marines can do the job that they've been tasked with better than any of the other services. I'm sorry to offend any of them, but that's the bottom line. Because we do know one another, we're also comfortable. We're comfortable with the responsibilities that we share. It's not just our responsibility. It's a shared responsibility for the security of that mission, the security of our nation's assets, our information, our secrets. We are comfortable with what Marines can provide because they've demonstrated their loyalty, their integrity, their abilities throughout not just the decades, not just over the past 70 years, but throughout our association with one another, whether it be in 1779 going into Haiti with a consul, whether it was in 1805 with Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon and the consul general from Tunis actually who went to Tripoli or to Derna, whether it was in a variety of different missions that Marines have provided support for the Department of State and our diplomatic engagement around the world, it didn't just start 70 years ago, it predates that. Marines security guard forces were first trained at Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C. Then in 1954, the Marine Corps took over the training for MSG forces at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia. It's an eight-week school and every week is a little bit different. The first week's more of a check-in piece and with the attachment commanders, we start with the hard skill sets with the defensive tactics, the baton, the handcuffing, weapons handling, evaluations, all those hard skills that they learn. We start with the attachment commanders first on week one, week two, and then the students, the sergeants below, they get that stuff on week three and four. We have a range piece where we go out to the range for five full days and they have to qualify on the State Department course with the M9. They also get to shoot the M4s in the State Department course and the 870 shotgun. They get to shoot all those three of those weapons and be familiar with the MPG piece on that shotgun. Training that we perform at Marine Security Guard School is set up to mimic almost exactly what the Marines are expected to perform at their respective embassy or consulate. Whether it's the surveillance equipment that is in post-1 through the cameras and the alarms and things of that nature, or whether it's the drill and react scenarios that we get the Marines to perform in the event of an intruder or a natural disaster, we try to bridge that gap so that there is very little separation or difference from what they expect when they arrive to their first post. After the range, we roll into the board. The board is comprised of five members being the Executive Director, the Sergeant Major, our psychologist on staff, the school OIC, and our State Department liaison. The Marines are being evaluated every moment as they go through training, not simply just their physical skills, but their aptitude, their complex problem solving, their ability to act independently and think as far as helping solve situations. And also we're trying to get a good assessment and evaluation on their character, ensuring that they're going to do the right thing, whether anybody's watching or not, at all times. And a lot of times that can be the most important indicator on how successful they're going to be on the program. We go through that board after that board and then we roll into the civilian clothing piece of the school house where we actually take them out and they get to purchase the suits and the clothes that they're required to wear from day to day coming in and out of an embassy. One of the key aspects of Marine Security Guard school is getting the Marines to understand that they are on call 24-7 for the next three years. They have to be ready at a moment's notice. They're the difference makers for the embassy staff and the consulate staff to maybe come back and see their families again when everything goes wrong. So imparting that on them that they're ready at a moment's notice at all times is probably the biggest factor that we try to drop home during Marine Security Guard school. After eight weeks of training, Marines graduate and they're assigned to one of the many posts in the world. Marine Security Guard duty is a vital national security asset. It is important to me, but more so it is important to our nation and it's important to the Department of State because Marines are professional, they're well trained, they're reliable and they will get the job done whatever that job is. That's why it's so important. That's the way they make a difference. When serving overseas, diplomatic security special agents are called regional security officers. The regional security officer is the senior advisor to the ambassador on matters of security and law enforcement. Regional security officers are in charge of the overall leadership of the Marine Security Guard detachment from day-to-day operations to crisis response and everything in between. The MSG program is one of the most important security programs that the RSO manages and it's a very unique kind of a situation where a civilian entity has sort of an operational oversight of a military unit. So the RSO works closely with the detachment commander in developing and fine-tuning different kinds of things like the reactionary procedures at an embassy and so forth. We also work together to work on administrative and logistical issues. So everything from working on where to put observation points, channels to react throughout the chancery and so forth. But this is by no means like one top-down management kind of thing. It's mostly a collaborative effort between all the RSO staff and frankly all the MSG staff to get the best security operational plans that we can. When at post around the world, detachments are commanded by staff non-commissioned officers. Detachment commanders usually serve two tours which generally last 18 months each. Then there's the detachment commander which is myself, usually a staff NCO. That Marine has to be a jack of all trades really. They had to effectively manage the Marines career, their morale and everything going on within the embassy regarding security. They're also that direct line of communication for the Department of State and other agencies within the embassy. Detachment commander is also briefing the ambassador. We know security officer, different law enforcement agencies, different meeting groups, working groups. Different security threats and analysis that need to be passed up and down the line and that commander is that instant link to that. So for det commanders, there's nothing more rewarding coming out here. You're on your own, you have to be that leader you're forced to. Basically the Marines are only looking up to you really. They're looking to you for the answers and solutions. So you just got to provide them the guidance that they need. And also you're changing your lives, whether they're leaving to go back to the Marine Corps or to go back to a fleet or if they're getting out to civilian world but remember step along the way and you're the first echelon in their training command that's going to help them do that. Marine Security Guard watchdanders are enlisted Marines from the rank of private first class to Staff Sergeant. A watchdander usually serves three 12 month tours of duty. Daily life on the MSG program differs from post to post. Normally you wake up, conduct physical training with your Marines. After you head to the embassy for shift. Shifts are manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year or someone always at the embassy. Here we have three different shifts, days, eaves and mids and they all operate within 8 hour shifts. So we'll have one guy come in for days and he's in side post one for 8 hours. And then we'll have an eaves guy 8 hours and a mids guy 8 hours. And they go from morning, evening and kind of the graveyard shift in the middle of the night. It can range from working 3 days, 2 days off, working 4 days, 2 days off. It just depends on the detachment of the size. So when a Marine stands shift, he's monitoring communications whether it be telephone or radio communications. He also man's the cameras watching for any kind of footage that may happen inside of the embassy or the compound or even outside of the embassy. He monitors the entry and exits of the chancery at all times. He's the commanding control for the embassy. He's the eyes of the year at all times. Marines take advantage of the country that they're in which is amazing because right now we're in Madrid and it's very beautiful here. There's a lot of architecture and a lot of history that has taken place. When I found out I was coming from Madrid, I was actually physically coming from Caracas, Venezuela and I was happy to know that I was coming to another Spanish speaking country so that I could advance with my Spanish and be able to study more the Spanish language. That's really what my major goal was to become fluent in Spanish. I'd like to say I'd achieve that. Marines really take advantage of college work. This is a great opportunity for Marines to complete college programming whether it be an associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or even some Marines have bachelor's degrees already and they're able to complete master's degrees on the program. I was very, very excited. I was looking for a new change of pace as well as career advancement. I knew it would be something that's amazing for my career as well as seeing the world. It's an amazing opportunity. The best part is, you know, you get close to the guys that you work with here. Like that commander said before, it can range from five Marines to 22 Marines and that's it. You're working with these guys for the next year. You know, maybe sometimes it's three months, six months, nine months, but that's it. You and the guy to your left and right are it. So you guys get each other's back when it comes to work. You guys get each other's back when it comes to drills and actuals and you get each other's back when you go out in town and enjoy yourself. Marine security guards will be held to the highest of standards. Their leadership will be tested and they will be challenged mentally and physically. MSGs, no matter where in the world, must be ready to stand in the face of all challenges. As a Marine security guard, you will be challenged every single day because unfortunately we do not know when the enemy will strike. The challenge is not just, you know, being a Marine every single day and representing the institution. But it's to be ready. It's to always be ready. And I believe every Marine joined the institution to be challenged. This is the duty where you will challenge 24-7. Every embassy is different. Marines at embassies worldwide train in very similar things. They train to repel a mob to deal with a terrorist incident and so forth. However, in a place like Embassy Tokyo where the threat of a natural disaster such as an earthquake looms large, we also drill heavily in how to deal with a situation like that. So for example, the Marines here know every nook and cranny of the embassy. So if they were an earthquake, they're trained up in how to gain accountability of all the staff and ensure that they evacuate the building. Another challenge or danger that the Marines have here is being self-aware. We have to look harder. We have to be at a stronger, higher threat posture than most people. You might hear that most people operating in the green. And that she's operating in the red constantly. So maintaining that self-awareness on a constant basis is truly tough. Well, our mission here in Mali is to stabilize this country. And our entire country team is focused on that effort. We couldn't do it without the Marines. We are all based in a central core here at the Embassy. And the Marines keep that a safe place. And so during a crisis or during anything, and even really just on day-to-day activities, they coordinate all of our access, all of our stability on this compound. And it's a key function and role. I have been in a number of combat zones. I've served in posts where in Libero Gabon in the early 90s, our mission was overrun by demonstrators who were not actually protesting against us. We just happened to be right next door to the French Embassy. And the crowd rushed the French Embassy and overran our embassy. And the Marines played a key role in stabilizing our compound, keeping our people safe, up to and including one point, taking down a guy who was going to outrun me into a mission compound structure. So the Marines play a key role in all of our missions. And these stories and incidents are not unique. This is something that happens in other African embassies and the embassies around the world. The Marine Security Guard program over the last several years has developed and evolved just as other elements of our national power. We've realized that the threat directed at U.S. missions around the world has evolved. And in fact, the threat against U.S. citizens around the world has evolved. And the Marine Security Guards that we find today, I believe, are better trained, better recruited, better resourced, and better equipped to confront the threat that they would possibly see at a U.S. mission overseas. That's commensurate with the additional training that we receive as diplomatic security special agents so that we are better able to operate together. And the Marines, they have changed the types of units that they send out to assist us as well. So we have developed a greater defensive capability that the Marines figure into. In the past, their primary objective was securing classified information, access control, securing the facilities. They've never shied away from securing personnel. But the reorientation of the mission of Marine Security Guards means that security of personnel is now number one, no questions asked. Everything else falls into place. So the Marines have developed a finer ability to provide for the physical security of our embassies with Marine Security Augmentation Units, with a larger number of Marines in the Marine Security Guard detachments, no longer having a minimum detachment of five and one. The smallest detachment that you'll find now is seven and one. That's actually fairly significant because it gives them capabilities to push out a little bit further than they ever would have had in the past. Marine Security Guards play an important role in every community in which they serve. They present a positive image of American values to people who've often never met an American. Their presence not only offers protection, but comfort to those around them. I've worked at many embassies where being a child is extremely difficult. And sometimes it's the Marines that are the first or the only Americans that these kids meet. And a program like this allows us to put a great face to what it is to be an American. But it also gives an opportunity to kind of give these kids a chance to have fun. The Marines are the heroes of our children. Every time we come to the Embassy their faces light up, they smile, they can't wait to meet the Marines. They have a huge impact on the global community everywhere they serve. July 11, 2011 was the moment where I fully understood what the mission of the Marine Security Guard program was. And that was the day that our Embassy in Damascus, Syria was attacked. And I remember during the chaos of that moment watching the detachment place the safety and security of the Embassy and the personnel as their highest priority. And at that time the regional security office and the detachment had a very strong relationship. And I felt that even at that moment with everything going on that we were going to be safe and that everything was going to be okay. What I found to be most profound though was that in the weeks and the days that followed there they were every single day walking around offices talking to staff and checking up on us just to make sure that we were okay. And now looking back on that I'm very proud to say that I served with them. And I don't think that I could ever thank them enough.