Diplomatic Security Service to Lead U.S. Security at Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the U.S. State Department’s law‑enforcement and security arm. It protects U.S. diplomacy worldwide by:

• Securing U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic facilities and staff overseas and in the United States
• Providing personal protection to the U.S. Secretary of State and certain U.S. and visiting foreign officials
• Investigating passport and visa fraud, threats against diplomats, and other security‑related crimes
• Leading U.S. security planning and coordination for major international events abroad (like the Olympics and World Cup)
• Protecting the integrity of U.S. travel documents and managing security programs such as guards, physical and technical security, and threat analysis.

These roles are summarized by State as “securing U.S. diplomacy” and managing the Department’s day‑to‑day security operations worldwide.

The International Security Event Group (ISEG) is an interagency coordination body, led and chaired by DSS, that brings together roughly 20+ U.S. federal departments and agencies to plan and coordinate all U.S. security and law‑enforcement support for major overseas events (such as the Olympics and World Cup).

Public U.S. government documents describe ISEG’s role and scale, but they do not publish an official, complete membership list. Open sources indicate that typical participants include law‑enforcement, intelligence, homeland‑security, defense, and emergency‑management agencies (for example: State/DSS, Department of Homeland Security components, FBI/DOJ, Department of Defense, and others), but the exact roster for Milan‑Cortina 2026 has not been disclosed.

The Milan‑Cortina article states that DSS’s role “is formalized through a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee,” but the text of that memorandum is not public. Based on State’s description of similar agreements, the MOU appears to:

• Designate DSS as the lead for security operations supporting Team USA and U.S. interests at the Games
• Set up close collaboration and information‑sharing with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and U.S. federal partners
• Define DSS’s responsibilities for security coordination, liaison, and advisory support to protect U.S. athletes, delegations, corporate stakeholders, and citizens at Olympic and Paralympic events.

More detailed, clause‑by‑clause terms are not available in open sources.

The Joint Operations Center (JOC) at the U.S. Consulate in Milan will function as a 24/7 command‑and‑coordination hub for U.S. security efforts during the Games. According to the State Department:

• DSS special agents and analysts will staff the JOC around the clock.
• It will coordinate with ISEG partners and other U.S. interagency representatives, monitor threats, share information, and support security operations affecting U.S. delegations, athletes, corporate stakeholders, and citizens at the Games.

Past JOCs for Olympics and World Cups have similarly served as all‑source security monitoring and liaison centers linking U.S. agencies with host‑nation security services and Team USA officials.

For Milan‑Cortina 2026, the State Department says DSS’s role—formalized by its MOU with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee—“enabl[es] close collaboration with U.S. federal law enforcement partners and host nation authorities.” In practice, based on how DSS has run security at prior Games:

• DSS agents will act as liaisons to Italian national and local police and security services, sharing threat information and coordinating protective measures for U.S. delegations and venues.
• The 24/7 Joint Operations Center at the U.S. Consulate in Milan will be the main node where U.S. agencies and Italian counterparts exchange information and synchronize responses.
• DSS’s chairing of the ISEG means it will integrate what Italian authorities are doing with U.S. government priorities, so that U.S. athletes, officials, and spectators are protected within Italy’s broader Olympic security plan.

Specific Italian units and detailed protocols for Milan‑Cortina have not been publicly listed, but this liaison‑and‑coordination model matches how DSS describes its work with host‑nation security at previous Olympics and the World Cup.

American athletes, staff, or spectators at the Milan‑Cortina Games who need assistance should:

1. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in Italy

• For northern Italy, that is usually U.S. Consulate General Milan. In an emergency involving a U.S. citizen, call the consulate’s emergency number listed on the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy website.

2. Use standard consular resources

• Visit or call U.S. citizen services for issues like lost passports, arrests, serious illness/injury, or being a victim of crime.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) before travel so the embassy/consulates can send security updates and contact you in a crisis.

3. In immediate danger

• First call the local Italian emergency number (112) for police/medical help, then contact the U.S. consulate as soon as it is safe to do so.

Contact details and emergency instructions for U.S. citizens in Italy are maintained on the official embassy website.