Protective Services Battalion

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U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion
U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion Seal
Country United States of America
Branch United States Army
RoleSecurity detail
Size40-50 Special Agents (1998)[1]
Part of701st Military Police Group, United States Army Criminal Investigation Command.[2]
Garrison/HQFort Belvoir, Virginia
Motto(s)Tutela Universitas Prolixus

The Protective Services Battalion (shortened to USAPSB and, officially, the U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion) is a United States Army military police unit responsible for the protection of the United States Secretary of Defense, the United States Army Chief of Staff, and other senior civilian and military officials of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Army.[3]

History[edit]

The USAPSB's peacetime protection operations can be traced back to the assignment of executive protection responsibilities within the DoD to the 1st Military Police Detachment in the late 1960s during heightened domestic unrest caused by the Vietnam War.[4] In 1971, subsequent to the establishment of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command as a major Army command, the Protective Services Activity was established to manage Department of Defense protective missions. During the build-up to the 1991 Gulf War, the PSA was reorganized as the Protective Services Unit (PSU). In October 2005, the unit was again reorganized as the Protective Services Battalion. In 2007, it was again reorganized to become the U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion.[4]

Composition[edit]

Around a quarter of all Special Agents assigned to the Criminal Investigation Command are assigned to the USAPSB.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hunter, Lisa. "Army's 'Secret Service' trains to protect leadership". Federation of American Scientists. U.S. Army. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  2. ^ Prince, Erik (2013). Civilian Warriors. Penguin. ISBN 978-0698154001.
  3. ^ Montgomery, Nancy (October 16, 2013). "Army CID agent killed in Afghanistan first to die in combat since 1971". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "701st Military Police Group (CID)". cid.army.mil. U.S. Army. Retrieved April 21, 2017.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ "Army CID is burned out and mismanaged by military police leadership, special agents say". Army Times. 15 December 2020.