The Importance of Maintaining Embassy Security
The word “embassy” refers both to the officials representing the government in a foreign country and the building in which they operate. While this can be confusing from time to time, the importance of securing both is crucial, both for the safety of the individuals in the embassy and the success of their mission. Delta Scientific recognizes the need to protect those who serve and has provided barriers to many government facilities to protect against vehicle attacks.
What Is the Purpose of an Embassy?
Embassies exist primarily to maintain good relationships between governments of foreign countries. This may be accomplished through the following actions:
- Preparing State visits
- Writing international treaties
- Informing the home government about conditions in the host country
- Transmitting messages between the home government and that of the host country
In addition, embassies also provide assistance to citizens of the home government who are either living in the host country or traveling there. If American citizens run into serious trouble when traveling for purposes of tourism, education, or business, they can turn to the U.S. embassy in the country for help.
Why Are Embassies Frequent Sites of Terrorist Attacks?
Even though a U.S. embassy is located within the boundaries of a foreign country, it is considered a part of the United States. Therefore, an attack against an embassy is essentially an attack on U.S. soil. Terrorists and militants may not be either willing or able to travel to the United States to launch an attack within its boundaries, so an embassy makes a convenient target.
In the past, embassies were relatively soft targets. However, recurrent attacks over previous decades have led to ongoing changes and updates to security strategies and embassy design. In some cases, such as after the 1998 attack on the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, it was deemed necessary to relocate entirely to a larger tract of land where there could be more protective space between the buildings themselves and the perimeter fence protecting them.
What Needs To Be Considered in Embassy Security?
The level of threat to each individual embassy needs to be accurately assessed. Some embassies are at greater risk because they are in unstable countries or those that are hostile to the United States. Embassies in more stable regions do not face as much as a threat, although rogue terrorist cells are always a concern.
It is also important to know the type of threat an embassy may encounter. Terrorist groups have increasingly staged vehicle-ramming attacks against buildings and pedestrian areas for the better part of a decade. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that they may use the same tactic against embassies. Heavy-duty beam barricades, sliding gates, and wedge barricades can stop a speeding 15,000-pound truck while managing regular embassy traffic. Surface-mounted barricades can be installed almost anywhere, and portable barriers can be installed and removed quickly.
Why Should You Choose Delta Scientific for Embassy Security?
For approximately 50 years, we have had a strong relationship with the United States government. We have worked with all branches of the military as well as other critical agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sources:
https://www.renaca.ch/wasmacht-en.html
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/embassy
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9808/07/embassy.security/
https://www.wired.com/story/how-us-prepares-embassies-potential-attacks/
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