National Special Security Event

A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is an event of national or international significance deemed by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events have included summits of world leaders, meetings of international organizations, presidential nominating conventions and presidential inaugurations. NSSE designation requires federal agencies to provide full cooperation and support to ensure the safety and security of those participating in or otherwise attending the event, and the community within which the event takes place, and is typically limited to specific event sites for a specified time frame.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (center) at a security news conference for Super Bowl XLIV, on February 1, 2010

An NSSE places the United States Secret Service as the lead agency in charge of the planning, coordination, and implementation of security operations for the event, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in charge of intelligence, counterterrorism, and investigation of major criminal activities associated with the event, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in charge of recovery management in the aftermath of terrorism, major criminal activities, natural disasters, or other catastrophic incidents following the event. Like the FBI and FEMA, the Secret Service brings in local law enforcement, public safety, and military experts to assist with developing the plan, and give them the special guidance and training to operate within the security plan.^[1] NSSE designation is not a funding mechanism, and currently there is no specific federal "pot of money" to be distributed to state and local governments within whose jurisdiction NSSEs take place.

Authority

NSSE procedures were established by President Bill Clinton in a portion of Presidential Decision Directive 62 in May 1998, which set out the security roles for federal agencies at major events.^[2] The Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–544 (text) (PDF), signed into law on 2000-12-19) added special events explicitly to the powers of the United States Secret Service in 18 U.S.C. § 3056.

Procedure

A number of factors are taken into consideration when designating an event as a National Special Security Event. Department of Homeland Security press releases usually cite the following factors:^[1]

• Anticipated attendance by dignitaries. Events attended by officials of the United States government or foreign dignitaries may create an independent federal interest to ensure that the event transpires without incident and that sufficient resources are brought to bear in the event of an incident.
• Size of the event. A large number of attendees and participants generally increases security requirements. In addition, larger events are more likely to draw the attention of terrorists or other criminals, particularly those interested in employing weapons of mass destruction.
• Significance of the event. Some events have historical, political, cultural, or other symbolic significance that may heighten concern about possible terrorist acts or other criminal activity.
• Duration of the event. State and local law enforcement and public safety agencies may possess the manpower and other resources to provide adequate security for a major event within their jurisdiction (e.g. World Series, NASCAR race, Super Bowl, televised awards show), but unable to do so for events over several days or weeks and at the same time continue to meet routine obligations in the greater community.
• Availability of state and local resources. When state and local jurisdictions lack the expertise, experience, manpower or other assets needed to ensure comprehensive protection of these major events of national or international significance.
• Multiplicity of Jurisdictions. Extensive coordination of law enforcement and public safety agencies from multiple jurisdictions.
• Threat assessments. Anticipation of terrorism, or extensive illegal civil disobedience or other criminal activity.

Typical NSSE security measures include:

• Interagency coordination and interoperability
• Heavy police (days off and leaves may be canceled) and often National Guard presence^[3]
• Police dogs for bomb detection^[1]
• Surveillance
• WMD detection, mitigation, and decontamination
• Sharpshooters and other tactical capabilities
• Flight restrictions around the area^[3]
• United States Coast Guard patrols^[3]
• Increased railroad security^[3]
• Extensive road closures^[1][3]
• When applicable members of Joint Task Force - Civil Support and the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) are deployed

The Secret Service notes that since the "Presidential Protection Act of 2000 became public law...the Secret Service is authorized to participate in the planning, coordination and implementation of security operations at special events of national significance....[and that] when an event is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), the Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan...The goal of the cooperating agencies is to provide a safe and secure environment for Secret Service protectees, other dignitaries, the event participants and the general public. There is a tremendous amount of advance planning and coordination in preparation for these events."^[4]

Events

18 U.S.C. § 3056 paragraph (e)(2) requires that, at the end of each federal fiscal year, the executive branch report to Congress which events were designated NSSEs, and what criteria were used to make the designations.

Typical types of NSSEs are state funerals, major political conventions, and the State of the Union addresses.^[5] The table below lists some NSSEs since enactment of the relevant statute.

Date	Event	Location	State(s) or district	Notes
September 13–17, 1998 (1998-09-13 – 1998-09-17)	World Energy Council Meeting World Energy Council Meeting[5]	George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas	Texas
April 23–25, 1999 (1999-04-23 – 1999-04-25)	NATO 50th Anniversary Celebration NATO 50th Anniversary Celebration[5][6]	Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington, D.C.	DC
November 29 – December 3, 1999 (1999-11-29 – 1999-12-03)	World Trade Organization Meeting World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999[5]	Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, Washington	Washington
January 27, 2000	State of the Union Address 2000 2000 State of the Union Address[5]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
April 14–17, 2000 (2000-04-14 – 2000-04-17)	International Monetary Fund 2000 Spring Meeting International Monetary Fund Spring Meeting[5]	Washington, D.C.	DC
July 3–9, 2000 (2000-07-03 – 2000-07-09)	Operation Sail 2000 Operation Sail Summer Millennium Celebration[5]	New York Harbor, New York City, New York	New York
July 29 – August 9, 2000 (2000-07-29 – 2000-08-09)	Republican National Convention 2000 2000 Republican National Convention[5]	First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
August 14–16, 2000 (2000-08-14 – 2000-08-16)	Democratic National Convention 2000 2000 Democratic National Convention[5]	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California	California
January 20, 2001	Presidential Inauguration 2001 First inauguration of George W. Bush[5]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 27, 2001	Presidential Address to Congress 2001 2001 Presidential Address to Congress[5]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
November 10–16, 2001 (2001-11-10 – 2001-11-16)	United Nations General Assembly 56th session United Nations General Assembly 56th session[5]	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 29, 2002	State of the Union Address 2002 2002 State of the Union Address[5]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 31 – February 4, 2002 (2002-01-31 – 2002-02-04)	World Economic Forum USA Meeting 2002 World Economic Forum USA Meeting[citation needed]	Waldorf Astoria New York, New York City, New York[7]	New York
February 3, 2002	Super Bowl 36 Super Bowl XXXVI[5][8]	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana	Louisiana
February 8–24, 2002 (2002-02-08 – 2002-02-24)	Winter Olympics 2002 2002 Winter Olympics[5][8]	Salt Lake City, Utah	Utah
January 20, 2003	State of the Union Address 2003 2003 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 20, 2004	State of the Union Address 2004 2004 State of the Union Address[5]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
June 8–10, 2004 (2004-06-08 – 2004-06-10)	G8 Summit 30 30th G8 summit[5]	Sea Island, Georgia	Georgia
June 9–11, 2004 (2004-06-09 – 2004-06-11)	State funeral of Reagan, Ronald State funeral of Ronald Reagan[5][9]	Washington, D.C. Simi Valley, California	DC; California
July 26–29, 2004 (2004-07-26 – 2004-07-29)	Democratic National Convention 2004 2004 Democratic National Convention[5][9]	FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts	Massachusetts
August 30 – September 2, 2004 (2004-08-30 – 2004-09-02)	Republican National Convention 2004 2004 Republican National Convention[5][9]	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York	New York
January 20, 2005	Presidential Inauguration 2005 Second inauguration of George W. Bush[5][9]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 2, 2005	State of the Union 2005 2005 State of the Union Address[5][9]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 31, 2006	State of the Union 2006 2006 State of the Union Address[9]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
December 30, 2006 – January 3, 2007 (2006-12-30 – 2007-01-03)	State funeral of Ford, Gerald State funeral of Gerald Ford[5][9]	Washington, D.C. Grand Rapids, Michigan	DC; Michigan
January 23, 2007	State of the Union 2007 2007 State of the Union Address[9]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 28, 2008	State of the Union 2008 2008 State of the Union Address[5][9][10]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
August 25–28, 2008 (2008-08-25 – 2008-08-28)	Democratic National Convention 2008 2008 Democratic National Convention[10]	Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado	Colorado	26th NSSE[10]
September 1–4, 2008 (2008-09-01 – 2008-09-04)	Republican National Convention 2008 2008 Republican National Convention[10]	Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota	Minnesota	27th NSSE[10]
September 23–29, 2008 (2008-09-23 – 2008-09-29)	United Nations General Assembly 63rd Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
November 14–15, 2008 (2008-11-14 – 2008-11-15)	G20 Summit 2008 2008 G20 Washington summit[11]	National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 17, 2009	Presidential Inauguration 2009 Pre-Inaugural Whistle Stop Tour[12]	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C.	Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; DC	Part of inaugural ceremonies
January 18, 2009	Presidential Inauguration 2009 We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial[12]	Lincoln Memorial and National Mall, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 20, 2009	Presidential Inauguration 2009 First inauguration of Barack Obama[5][9]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 24, 2009	Presidential Address to Congress 2009 2009 Presidential Address to Congress[11]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 23–29, 2009 (2009-09-23 – 2009-09-29)	United Nations General Assembly 64th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
September 24–25, 2009 (2009-09-24 – 2009-09-25)	G20 Summit 2009 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit[11]	David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
January 27, 2010	State of the Union 2010 2010 State of the Union Address[13]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
April 12–13, 2010 (2010-04-12 – 2010-04-13)	Nuclear Security Summit 2010 2010 Nuclear Security Summit[14]	Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 23–29, 2010 (2010-09-23 – 2010-09-29)	United Nations General Assembly 65th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 25, 2011	State of the Union 2011 2011 State of the Union Address[15]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 21–27, 2011 (2011-09-21 – 2011-09-27)	United Nations General Assembly 66th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
November 12–13, 2011 (2011-11-12 – 2011-11-13)	Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 20112011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit[15]	Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii	Hawaii
January 24, 2012	State of the Union 2012 2012 State of the Union Address[15]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
May 18–19, 2012 (2012-05-18 – 2012-05-19)	G8 Summit 38 38th G8 summit[15]	Camp David, Maryland	Maryland
May 20–21, 2012 (2012-05-20 – 2012-05-21)	NATO Summit 20122012 NATO Chicago Summit[15]	McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois	Illinois
August 27–31, 2012 (2012-08-27 – 2012-08-31)	Republican National Convention 2012 2012 Republican National Convention[15]	Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, Florida	Florida
September 3–6, 2012 (2012-09-03 – 2012-09-06)	Democratic National Convention 2012 2012 Democratic National Convention[15]	Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina	North Carolina
September 25 – October 1, 2012 (2012-09-25 – 2012-10-01)	United Nations General Assembly 67th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 20, 2013	Presidential Inauguration 2013 Second inauguration of Barack Obama[16]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 12, 2013	2013 State of the Union Address 2013 State of the Union Address[17]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 24 – October 4, 2013 (2013-09-24 – 2013-10-04)	United Nations General Assembly 68th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 28, 2014	2014 State of the Union Address 2014 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 24 – October 1, 2014 (2014-09-24 – 2014-10-01)	United Nations General Assembly 69th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 20, 2015	2015 State of the Union Address 2015 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 22–27, 2015 (2015-09-22 – 2015-09-27)	Pope Francis' 2015 US visit Pope Francis's 2015 visit to the United States[18]	Washington, D.C. New York City, New York Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	DC; New York; Pennsylvania
September 28 – October 3, 2015 (2015-09-28 – 2015-10-03)	United Nations General Assembly 70th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 12, 2016	2016 State of the Union Address[19]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
July 18–21, 2016 (2016-07-18 – 2016-07-21)	2016 Republican National Convention2016 Republican National Convention	Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio	Ohio
July 25–28, 2016 (2016-07-25 – 2016-07-28)	2016 Democratic National Convention2016 Democratic National Convention	Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
September 20–26, 2016 (2016-09-20 – 2016-09-26)	United Nations General Assembly 71st Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 20, 2017	First inauguration of Donald Trump	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 28, 2017	2017 Presidential Address to Congress	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 19–25, 2017 (2017-09-19 – 2017-09-25)	United Nations General Assembly 72nd Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 30, 2018	2018 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 25 – October 1, 2018 (2018-09-25 – 2018-10-01)	United Nations General Assembly 73rd Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
December 3–5, 2018 (2018-12-03 – 2018-12-05)	State funeral of George H. W. Bush	Washington, D.C. Houston, Spring, and College Station, Texas	DC; Texas
February 5, 2019	2019 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 24–30, 2019 (2019-09-24 – 2019-09-30)	United Nations General Assembly 74th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
February 4, 2020	2020 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
August 17–20, 2020 (2020-08-17 – 2020-08-20)	2020 Democratic National Convention[20]	Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and various locations remotely)	Wisconsin
August 24–27, 2020 (2020-08-24 – 2020-08-27)	2020 Republican National Convention	Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington, D.C. (and various locations remotely)	DC; North Carolina
January 20, 2021	Inauguration of Joe Biden	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
April 28, 2021	2021 Presidential Address to Congress[21]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 21–27, 2021 (2021-09-21 – 2021-09-27)	United Nations General Assembly 76th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
September 20–26, 2022 (2022-09-20 – 2022-09-26)	United Nations General Assembly 77th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
March 1, 2022	2022 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 7, 2023	2023 State of the Union Address	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
September 19–26, 2023 (2023-09-19 – 2023-09-26)	United Nations General Assembly 78th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
November 12–18, 2023 (2023-11-12 – 2023-11-18)	APEC United States 2023	Moscone Center, San Francisco, California	California
July 9–11, 2024 (2024-07-09 – 2024-07-11)	2024 NATO Washington Summit	Washington, DC	DC
July 15–18, 2024 (2024-07-15 – 2024-07-18)[22]	2024 Republican National Convention[23]	Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Wisconsin
August 19–22, 2024 (2024-08-19 – 2024-08-22)[24]	2024 Democratic National Convention[25]	United Center, Chicago, Illinois	Illinois
September 24–30, 2024 (2024-09-24 – 2024-09-30)	United Nations General Assembly 79th Session	United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York	New York
January 4–9, 2025 (2025-01-04 – 2025-01-09)	State funeral of Jimmy Carter[26]	Washington, D.C. Plains, Georgia	DC; Georgia
January 6, 2025	2025 Electoral College vote count[27]	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
January 20, 2025	Second inauguration of Donald Trump	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.	DC
February 9, 2025	Super Bowl LIX	Caesars Superdome, New Orleans	Louisiana
July 14–30, 2028 (2028-07-14 – 2028-07-30)	2028 Summer Olympic Games	Los Angeles, California	California