The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is responsible for protecting the secretary of state, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, visiting foreign dignitaries other than heads of state, and U.S. embassies and diplomats abroad. The deadly 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi underlined the DSS’s small margin for error.

But while State Department leaders insist DSS is fit for purpose, source testimony and documents seen by the Washington Examiner suggest otherwise. They indicate that although DSS resources are deeply strained, DSS is diverting sparse resources away from key missions in support of expensive domestic trips of unclear mission value and in pursuit of various questionable diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.