US EditionDHS watchdog finds Secret Service counter sniper team chronically understaffed
The U.S. Secret Service faces a 73% shortfall in counter-sniper staffing, leading to 247,887 overtime hours from 2020-24 and reliance on less qualified personnel, risking protectee safety.
- A report released on September 2, 2025, revealed that the Secret Service's counter sniper team is operating at just 27 percent of the personnel required to fulfill its mission.
- The ongoing shortage of Secret Service personnel became more pronounced following the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump during a campaign event in Butler, PA, exposing significant weaknesses in the agency’s preparedness and reaction.
- Due to shortages, the team worked nearly 248,000 overtime hours from 2020 to 2024 and sometimes relied on less qualified marksmen and personnel borrowed from other agencies.
- The report revealed that counter-snipers who had not completed the required weapons requalification were present at 11 percent of protectee events in 2024, including several involving President Biden.
- The inspector general warned that failure to quickly hire and train more snipers risks injury or assassination of senior leaders and urged preparation for the 2028 presidential election cycle.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Report: Secret Service counter sniper teams understaffed amid rising demand
A report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general shows counter sniper teams have “chronic understaffing.” At the same time, the demand for counter snipers at the Secret Service increased by 151% from 2020 to 2024. Scrutiny of the agency came after the July 2024 attempted assassination attempt of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and eventually led to the director of the agency resigning. “The United States Secret Servic…
Inspector General Says Secret Service Sniper Team Understaffed
The United States Secret Service’s counter sniper unit operated at nearly three-quarters below its required staffing level for four years, according to a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General review.
Short on sharpshooters: New report says Secret Service understaffed
A new report from the Dept. of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found the U.S. Secret Service’s Counter Sniper Team, or CS, is understaffed. The partly-redacted report shows the CS needs a 73% increase in staffing to meet the necessary level for mission requirements. Sniper understaffing The report expressed concerns over the team’s ability to protect some of America’s most important people. “Failure to appropriately staff CS could …
Secret Service Counter-Sniper Team Drastically Understaffed, Putting Protectees’ Lives in Danger
by John Solomon The U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper teams are drastically understaffed and are using overtime and less qualified marksmen to fill gaps in a security crisis that threatens the lives of those it protects, the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog starkly warned Tuesday. The report released by Inspector General Joseph Cufari is the latest signal that the agency that protects the president and vice president is still …
DHS watchdog finds Secret Service counter sniper team chronically understaffed
The internal watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the first of several reports evaluating the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) in the wake of the attempted assassination of President Trump in Pennsylvania last year, determining its counter sniper team is chronically understaffed. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said the report is the first of…
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