FACT students seek cover from a simulated terror attack during the course’s final training exercise, Dec. 9, 2022.
Story and photos by Isaac D. Pacheco
Traveling to far-flung places, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures are all potentially attractive aspects of Foreign Service life, but the complex realities of day-to-day diplomacy are not always so glamorous. American diplomats are sometimes called upon to support U.S. foreign policy objectives in places where war, civil unrest, or tensions between the United States and the host nation make otherwise routine interactions dangerous or impossible. In these volatile or hostile environments, diplomats working to promote peace and cooperation face a variety of safety and security threats, such as surveillance, kidnapping, and attacks by malicious actors who oppose America’s diplomatic efforts.
Not all dangers, however, are limited to “high-threat” assignments. Personnel posted in even the most idyllic environs are likely to encounter natural disasters, fires, environmental hazards, or other accidents at some point in their careers. Motor vehicle crashes, for example, remain the leading cause of serious injury and accidental death among Department of State employees globally. Recognizing that a more comprehensive training program was necessary to prepare government employees and their adult family members for the broad spectrum of threats they may encounter while working abroad, Department officials recently updated criteria for participation in the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) course developed and delivered by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
“There was a change in the mandate for FACT by the Department,” said Sean A. Sirker, director of the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC). “FACT used to only be for specific [high-threat] assignments, and now it’s for all of them. Anyone from the interagency serving abroad at an embassy or consulate is required to complete FACT. With that expanded scope, we updated the course’s content to be more generally applicable and to focus on real-world threats rather than just on terrorism as the course was originally conceived.”
FACT provides participants with the basic skills and knowledge they need to perceive and counter potential threats that may arise while serving abroad. The five-day, in-person FACT training program teaches participants how to recognize and mitigate risk and respond to potential threats, such as crime, terrorism, and isolating events. The course uses classroom instruction and practical application exercises to cover realistic scenarios related to personal safety, situational awareness, and emergency preparedness. The modular course has also been designed to adapt to new training requirements as threats evolve, a flexibility that FACT leaders consider essential to the course’s continued relevance.
“The early version of what used to be FACT was very intentionally high-threat focused. That was a War on Terror paradigm, and it made sense at the time. But FACT has had to evolve with the shifting paradigm,” said Stephen Strickland, FACT program manager. “While it’s certainly still relevant to our high-threat posts, we are very intentional about ensuring that every element of the course can be useful and relevant regardless of where our folks are going.”
FACT’s ability to offer students effective instruction in a safe and realistic environment is a testament to the state-of-the-art facility that hosts it and the training professionals working there. Managed by DSS, FASTC is the nation’s largest federal law enforcement training facility dedicated to security and safety overseas. The bespoke campus covers 1,350 acres of land on Fort Pickett Virginia Army National Guard base in Blackstone, Va. FASTC opened its doors, Nov. 14, 2019, consolidating numerous DSS training programs previously conducted at 11 disparate sites across the United States.
“FACT is our highest throughput training program by far. We train several hundred DSS agents and many thousands of FACT students here every year,” said Sirker. “The new location really facilitates improved training. But at the end of the day, it’s really about the instructor and support staff cadre. We have a world-class team, and I would put them up against any in the federal government. They are what make the difference in the high-quality training we deliver every day.”
FASTC’s 19 miles of high-speed and off-road driving track and its fleet of meticulously maintained vehicles in the Driver Training Unit allow students to practice (in a controlled environment) the stressful, and sometimes complex, vehicle maneuvers and evasive actions that could be required in an emergency situation. Often cited by FACT students as the highlight of their training experience, the tactical driving module is more than just high-intensity “crash and bang” scenarios. Current instruction also covers threshold braking, traction control on slippery surfaces, and even routine tire changes—all of which hold practical utility in everyday driving conditions.
In another training module, students are issued individual first aid kits (IFAK) that include tourniquets, sterile bandages, nasopharyngeal tubes, thermal blankets, and other items required to quickly mitigate massive blood loss, airway obstruction, hypothermia, and other injuries they might encounter during an accident or mass casualty situation. The day-long medical instruction portion of FACT combines classroom seminars delivered by subject matter experts with hands-on breakout sessions, allowing students to practice various lifesaving techniques with IFAK supplies and improvised tools.
“In the context of relevance, 40% of FACT (two full days) now covers medical and driving. Why? Because those are the greatest threats that our Department personnel face today,” said Strickland.
FASTC’s urban tactical training complex, a miniature town complete with paved streets and concrete buildings, provides the backdrop for some of FACT’s most dynamic training. At the conclusion of each training week, instructors and staff lead a final training exercise (FTX) that incorporates pyrotechnics, sound effects, and role-playing actors to simulate encounters with accident victims, foreign government law enforcement, and hostile forces. The scenarios vary, but often revolve around a simulated attack on the complex’s embassy compound. Throughout the FTX, students are placed in various situations where they must recall and utilize different aspects of the training they received throughout the week. The logistical challenge (and expense) of staging the realistic and elaborate production dozens of times per year represents a serious investment of time and resources, and underscores the Department’s commitment to the safety of all its personnel serving abroad.
“We want our personnel to be risk aware, not risk averse. The days of bunker diplomacy are over. FACT is the way we put our money where our mouth is in that regard,” said Strickland.
Given the expanded mandate for safety and security training, FASTC is already facing budget shortfalls and space constraints. With the pandemic-driven blanket FACT waiver expiring April 1, 2023, and the lifting of capacity limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a resurgence in participation will add to the challenge. FASTC is projected to train 8,000 students annually, the vast majority of whom are FACT participants. To meet current requirements as well as projected enrollment increases that were not accounted for during the FASTC development process, Department officials are exploring innovative options to streamline and enhance FACT training moving forward.
“There’s a lot of training compressed into a five-day period, so we have to look at the cost-benefit analysis and determine the right balance for the best training we can provide in the short amount of time that we have,” said Sirker. “We could do a lot more if we had two weeks with every student, but that’s just not realistic right now, especially given the broader FACT mandate to train everyone in the interagency serving abroad.”
Later this year, DSS will unveil a virtual eFACT course for personnel whose work and travel commitments do not require them to attend the full in-person course. The eFACT course will replace the outdated Counter Threat Awareness Training online course. The new course is designed to provide students with comprehensive security and risk management training that mirrors the essential learning objectives taught in FACT classrooms.
“Nothing touches the impact, influence, and importance of the FACT program. This is where we can have the greatest influence on how people understand and respond to threats,” said Strickland. “That’s a huge responsibility, but one that we fully embrace.”
Isaac D. Pacheco is the editor-in-chief of State Magazine.