❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Secret Service is facing increasing pressure, with major events such as the Los Angeles Olympics and federal elections posing significant security demands.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Secret Service, Deputy Director Matthew Quinn, and former deputy special agent Derek Mayer.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Major events are set to take place in 2028 in the United States, with the Los Angeles Olympics scheduled for July and August.
💬KEY QUOTE: “About a third of the workforce will be retirement-eligible before the start of 2028.” – Derek Mayer
🎯IMPACT: The Secret Service plans to hire 4,000 new personnel in response to a potential shortage of experienced agents and increased protection responsibilities.
The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for an unprecedented level of security challenges, with both federal elections and the Los Angeles Summer Olympics on the horizon in 2028. Agency officials and former agents have described the upcoming period as “Armageddon” for protective operations.
The Secret Service is facing significant staffing pressures. Many experienced agents have already left for other opportunities, and a large portion of the workforce hired after 9/11 may not stay through another grueling election cycle. Derek Mayer, a former deputy special agent, warned that “about a third of the workforce will be retirement-eligible before the start of 2028.”
To address these gaps, the agency is launching one of its most ambitious recruitment drives in history, aiming to hire roughly 4,000 new employees by 2028. The plan would expand the number of special agents from about 3,500 to 5,000 and grow the Uniformed Division to approximately 2,000 officers, alongside hundreds of support staff.
The agency’s protective mission is also expanding. With competitive primaries expected from both major parties, more presidential candidates and their families will require round-the-clock protection. On top of that, the Secret Service must help secure the Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles, an event that will draw world leaders, international athletes, and massive crowds.
Deputy Director Matthew Quinn acknowledged the scale of the challenge, saying, “No matter what, I don’t care how successful we are, it’s still going to be a rough summer.”
Recent events highlight the variety of threats the agency faces. In January 2026, agents detained a man accused of damaging the home of Vice President J.D. Vance in Cincinnati. In September 2025, the Secret Service uncovered a plot to disable cell towers near the United Nations headquarters, demonstrating the agency’s preventive role in protecting critical infrastructure.
Last year, six agents were suspended following security failures during the assassination attempt against President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, as part of ongoing efforts to improve operational effectiveness and accountability.
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