WASHINGTON--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic announced today the premiere of
United States
Secret Service: On the Front Line, an in-depth, exclusive look
inside the high-stakes world of protecting the President. The two-hour
special echoes one of National Geographic’s core missions, to take
viewers places few others have been. The special reveals unexpected
stories of trepidation and triumph along with a broader understanding of
the significant and serious matters the agency must contend with
everyday.
United States Secret Service: On the Front Line
premieres Sunday, October 14 at 9/8c on National Geographic.
“In an event like the State of
the Union, you’ve got to have an alternate plan in the event that
something catastrophic were to happen.”
“The Secret Service impacts the life of the president greatly,” Anthony
Ornato, Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protective Division
tells National Geographic. “Coming into the presidency, everything is
new. We probably restrict President Trump more than he wants to be
restricted. And it's difficult for the President to live in a bubble.”
Over the course of one year, National Geographic was given extensive
access to four Secret Service special missions. This access provides
viewers with an exceptionally immersive picture of the demanding work
Secret Service agents and officers face as they protect the President on
multiple evolving fronts.
United States Secret Service: On the Front Line incorporates
interviews with key agency officers and the notable journalists who
covered some of the most significant events involving the Secret Service.
Featured in the special are Anthony Ornato, Special Agent in
Charge of the Presidential Protective Division; Chad Ragan,
Special Agent, Presidential Protective Division; Agent Wesley Schwark,
Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge, Dignitary Protective Division,
Special Events Section; Audrey Gibson, Special Agent, Protective
Intelligence & Assessment Division; Mickey Nelson, former
Assistant Director of the U.S. Secret Service; Chip Smith, Former
Special Agent In Charge, NYC Field Office; Bret Baier, Anchor
Special Report, Fox News; Ann Compton, Former White House
Correspondent, ABC News; and Don Gonyea, National Political
Correspondent, NPR News.
United States Secret Service: On the Front Line illustrates how
the agency works domestically and abroad and features the following
vital divisions:
-
Most Americans are familiar with Protective Operations, which
includes the Presidential Protective Division the Dignitary
Protection Division and Special Ops. These are the agents
responsible for the daily around-the-clock security of the President
of the United States (POTUS). They protect and safeguard the
President’s “bubble”— a term used to describe the protective arm of
the Secret Service.
-
National Geographic cameras follow lead agents as they prepare for
and embark on President Donald J. Trump’s (Secret Service
codename: “Mogul”) 2017 trip to Manila. Agents run through game
plans and protection strategies and track, in real time, any
possible threats around. “Twitter or Facebook threats. Lone wolf
threat. Terrorist team attacker. People who want to cause chaos
and disruption. Threats that we haven’t even comprehended that
people can dream up. Our role is to be command and control
wherever the President goes around the world,” says Special Agent
Ornato.
-
The Dignitary Protection Division secures large-scale
events like the State of the Union, state dinners and the
Presidential Inauguration. State of the Union addresses, for
example, feature the President, at a highly publicized event, with
all three branches of the federal government in attendance. Next
to the Inauguration, the State of the Union is the largest
undertaking for the Secret Service in Washington D.C. It also
requires preparation for the worst-case scenario, including the
selection of a designated survivor. “Your line of succession is
basically sitting in one room,” says Agent Wesley Schwark,
Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge, Dignitary Protective
Division, Special Events Section. “In an event like the State of
the Union, you’ve got to have an alternate plan in the event that
something catastrophic were to happen.”
-
Special Ops directs the counter-sniper, counter-assault and
K-9 teams. An overseas trip to the Philippines, where ISIS is a
real and credible threat, requires multiple planes filled with
protective equipment, the entire presidential SUV and limousine
motorcade, K-9 teams and hundreds of agents. Cameras capture the
intricate preparation and execution over the entire trip,
including the installation of ballistic glass in the President’s
hotel suite, placing agents on Philippine Naval ships just off
shore, positioning counter snipers 24/7 at key locations and
conducting frequent sweeps of the President’s hotel with explosive
detection teams.
-
The Protective Intelligence Division scours open source
information to identify, locate and investigate threats to the
President and other key dignitaries before they become a reality. The
evolving landscape of social media and other communications platforms
has given rise to an equally challenging and vital mission. Cameras
roll as agents working in Manila, during the President’s visit, and
chase down a suspected member of ISIS and an individual who has made
threats to the President over social media. Overall, agents in this
division seek to contain individuals whose risky behavior has been
identified as potentially harmful. “When I first started with the
Secret Service, threats would come in via the U.S. mail. They would
give us...handwriting samples, DNA [via the licked envelope], and if
they were real nice, sometimes, they would put their return address on
there. So, it made it a lot easier to find them,” says Mickey Nelson,
former Assistant Director of the U.S. Secret Service. “Today, most
everything comes in via social media and the relative anonymity that
goes along with that.”
In addition to the insider access to real time strategy, United
States Secret Service: On the Front Line takes a broader look
back at the agency’s efforts to divert disaster—whether successful or
the difficult, but invaluable, lessons learned the hard way. Through
interviews with current and former agents as well as the journalists who
were there, viewers will hear first-person accounts of close calls and
matters of national security that forever changed the protective
strategy of the agency.
United States Secret Service: On the Front Line is produced by
National Geographic Studios for National Geographic. Executive producers
for National Geographic Studios are Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett and
Melissa Wood. Matt Renner is executive producer and vice president,
original programming and production at National Geographic.
About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National
Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world
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