The Foreign Service Journal, March 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2023 41 Mali’s SPEAR Team Protecting U.S. Diplomats at a Dangerous Post FEATURE M ali lies on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, a crossroads of ancient transit routes as well as modern-day extremist groups. The region has long been divided by clashing factions, but vio- lence over the past decade has escalated. Since 2019, the West African country has experienced social unrest, a military coup, a reconsolidation of military power, and ongoing terrorist threats— making Bamako among the most dangerous posts in the State Department. The size of the U.S. diplomatic presence has varied in recent years given the nation’s pervasive instability. When Ambassador Dennis B. Hankins first took his post in Mali in January 2019, he began attending international gatherings with U.S. Embassy Bamako’s sizable security entourage. Some diplomats from other nations, he noted in an interview, would roll their eyes and say something along the lines of, “Here comes the ugly American with all his security.” But, by early 2022, half a dozen diplomats of other countries had assured Ambassador Hankins that it would not be safe to attend international gatherings without the professional, reas- suring presence of his U.S. embassy security teams. This security presence relies on the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Program for Embassy Augmentation and Response (SPEAR), Kyle Andreasen is a special agent with the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. From July 2020 to July 2022, he served as an assistant regional security officer in Bamako, Mali. A special program bolsters security at embassies and consulates in challenging environments. DSS special agents explain SPEAR and how it works in Mali. BY KYL E ANDREASEN