IT’S AS SIMPLE AS “TASKS, CONDITIONS AND STANDARDS”
Let’s begin at the end with a conclusion. The Secret Service could have conducted themselves more professionally while planning and executing the protection of President Trump in Butler Pennsylvania. The attempted assassination will of course be investigated officially by the FBI and Congress and unofficially by the media and personal opinions.
The Secret Service mission statement. “We have an integrated mission of protection and financial investigations to ensure the safety and security of our protectees, key locations, and events of national significance. We also protect the integrity of our currency and investigate crimes against the U.S. financial system committed by criminals around the world and in cyberspace.”
All of the investigations should begin by defining the state of training of the Secret Service agents involved with, ensuring the safety and security of our protectees.
TASKS/CONDITIONS/STANDARDS
TASKS: A blinding glimpse of the obvious, there are a series of tasks to be performed before and during the conduct of a protection function. The tasks differ for each level of the agents; Patrol Officer, Elite Officer, Bodyguard, Agent, Field Agent, Senior Agent, Special Agent. That is, the tasks to be performed by agents assigned to be up close and personal with the protectee differ from the agents who are responsible for assessing the area of operations and developing the overall plan for execution.
Tasks fall into two categories, individual and collective tasks. Every individual task for a specific grade, Field Agent for example, must be performed to a specified standard under varying conditions.
For those Secret Service agents in leadership positions, there is a separate set of tasks called collective tasks. Just like the individual tasks, every collective task must be performed to a specific standard under varying conditions. Individual and collective tasks must be written and be the centerpiece of all training manuals.
The first question, by the FBI and Congressional Oversight Committee investigators to the Director of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle should be, do you have an official publication specifying every individual and collective task to be performed by every agent at every level involved in the security of protectees?
The second question is, can you define the task proficiency level of every Secret Service person involved before and during the Trump rally in Butler Pennsylvania?
CONDITIONS: For every individual and collective task there is a defined condition. For example, is the protectee inside or outside, in a vehicle, walking down a line of people shaking hands, moving through a crowd, or stationary speaking to a crowd, is it daylight or dark? The conditions further define and complicate each individual and collective task. Tasks and conditions are always linked and result in defining a standard of conduct.
STANDARDS: An organization without standards is a failed organization.
For every individual and collective task there is a specified standard of performance. Until an agent, at any level, is proficient in every task associated with their grade, they are in an unqualified status. There can be no exceptions for gender, especially when it comes to physical capabilities.
Old saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” The training manual listing of tasks by grade and condition that must be performed to standard at all times under varying conditions is the road map for a successful organization, especially one with a life-or-death mission every day. If such a document does not exist, the proficiency level of every agent can and should be called into question.
A final note about standards. As stated, an organization without standards is a failing organization. A second absolute truth is that an organization that begins to reduce standards to accommodate a lesser qualified person or group is on a slippery slope from which there is no recovery.
MERITOCRACY:
Tasks/conditions/standards is the lifeblood of meritocracy.
Can we think of any organization in government that is more dependent on meritocracy than the Secret Service, given their protectee mission? Any agent at any level should absolutely not be in the field with a protectee unless they are proficient in every task. Period. “One-the-job training” should not even be in the Secret Service lexicon. ‘On-the-job observation” should certainly be part of the training process as long as the observer is not part of the head-count required for the mission.
Are the proficiency levels of all agents the same? Certainly not; not all will achieve a max score on the physical tests, not all are equally qualified on the shooting range, etc. But there are absolute minimums that must be achieved. No exceptions. That is what meritocracy is all about. Periodic written evaluations should specifically point out strengths and areas for improvement for every individual. Periodic evaluations should always have a section whereby the rater can answer the question, “what is this individual’s potential to successfully serve in positions of greater responsibility.” Leaders at every level should be recognized as those who are the best and brightest regardless of race and gender. Meritocracy is part of the process of developing and enforcing a daily operating culture of trust and respect.
The point of the above dissertation on tasks/conditions/standards is that the training level/certification of every agent at Butler Pennsylvania before and during the shooting should be the opening question to the Secret Service Director. If she cannot answer that question in great detail, that, by implication speaks volumes about the current status of the Secret Service.
CAN AN ORGANIZATION BE DISTRACTED FROM TASK/CONDITION/STANDARD?
Once inaugurated, Biden directed the leaders of every department and agency in the Executive Branch to make Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI, a priority within their management agendas, and they were given 100 days to assess the state of DEI within their own workforces and associated policies. From that assessment, they were to move forward with implementing agendas. Additionally, each organization was to hire a DEI czar with a staff reporting directly to the Department/Agency leader.
The DEI folks will tell you, “Inclusion is about all employees feeling their voices will be heard.” That is a feel-good thing, it’s an all-about-me thing. It flies directly in the face of being the best team member you can possible be every day and the combination of all that collectively creates, maintains and sustains an unbeatable force.
The vast amount of written material, the large staff requirements and the long-term continuous training requirements all associated with DEI are not only disruptive to daily operations but also can be confusing and difficult to understand and implement.
DEI, A DESTRUCTIVE CULTURE IN THE SECRET SERVICE ORGANIATION?
In a podcast, February 2023, the DEI Director Loucious Hires III described DEI as a “mission imperative” and the “ultimate goal” to spread DEI with the agency via seminars on “respectful use of pronouns” and striving to be the “gold standard.”
The Director outlined how “every action at the Secret Service should be informed by DEI” and claimed “the ideology makes the organization stronger.” Every employee should consider how every action is reflective of equity”
In the DEI world equity means that “opportunities are shaped to fit with the needs of each individual in a way he or she feels is fair”. Stated another way we dumb-down standards to the lowest common denominator. By contrast, the all-encompassing imperative in an organization with a life-or-death mission is that the standard is as high as possible for every action and for every agent. The standard is there for the taking by everyone and is the heart and soul of meritocracy. “Fair for everyone” is not an acceptable operative culture for the Secret Service.
This begs the question, does every agent have his or her head in the game every day and on every mission or is DEI a mental distraction?
CONCLUSIONS:
he Secret Service failed at Butler Pennsylvania. It is imperative that every stone is overturned and examined to definitely determine what were the causes. General training regimen? Leadership? Insufficient preparation? Etc. Etc.
Once the causes are found, there must be organizational changes in leadership, training, culture, etc.
BOTTOM LINE:
“Zero defects” is not an appropriate goal for any organization. We do not live in a perfect world and zero defects is not achievable so don’t try to go there.
But there must be more/better oversight, planning, training, defined standards to be comfortable that a Butler Pennsylvania does not occur again.
The investigation should not be about Republicans and Democrats, it is too important to let that nonsense interfere. It should not be about blame. Blame is the easy way out; find a scapegoat and move on.
The investigation must be about two things; what didn’t work and how does the Secret Service fix itself.
Marvin L. Covault, Lt Gen US Army, retired, is the author of two books, Vision to Execution and Fix the Systems, Transform America as well as the author of a blog, WeThePeopleSpeaking.com