Jaishankar : During the government shutdown, was driven 416 miles by US security
Jaishankar: According to a State Department report this week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was driven 416 miles by US security personnel during a September government shutdown after the grounding of commercial planes.
Jaishankar was able to go to New York in order to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The US Diplomatic Security Service wrote the report on December 30 and released it to the public on January 8.
Air travel nationwide was suspended due to the closure. Security officers decided to use the road as there were no planes available. The minister was met by agents at the US-Canada border’s Lewiston–Queenston Bridge, and they then started the seven-hour trip to Manhattan.
Twenty-seven agents participated. They were from the Dignitary Protection Division of the Diplomatic Security Service, which has field offices in Buffalo and New York. To support local teams, a few agents drove alone.
To finish the transfer at the crossing, the security detail collaborated with representatives from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the United States border authorities, and India’s UN mission, according to the article.
Long sections of upstate New York were traversed by Jaishankar’s motorcade route. According to the report, agents prepared for winter conditions and extended driving days, and drivers were switched off during the journey. Despite low visibility and frigid conditions, the service reported that the motorcade proceeded.
The State Department claims that during a team handoff, an explosive detection dog from the sheriff’s office once warned of the minister’s armored vehicle. Agents summoned in local specialists and secured the location. It said that the travel was continued when the vehicle was cleared after an examination.
A security guard saw a lady who had been severely hurt in a hit-and-run accident after landing in New York City. While others collaborated with local police and fire authorities to manage traffic and make room for emergency responders, the agent offered aid.
The lady was treated. According to the service, the event did not interfere with the visiting minister’s safety.
Despite the blockade, US officials claimed the operation made sure the minister’s UN meeting proceeded as scheduled.
The US State Department is home to the Diplomatic Security Service. It is in charge of guarding visiting foreign leaders and US diplomats.