The Secret Service’s counter sniper team is understaffed, jeopardizing the safety of U.S. leaders like the president, according to a new inspector general report. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"Failure to appropriately staff CS could limit the Secret Service’s ability to properly protect our Nation’s most senior leaders, risking injury or assassination, and subsequent national-level harm to the country’s sense of safety and security," the report, was released Friday, states.
Meanwhile, demand for snipers is up. Events the sniper team supported increased by 151% from calendar year 2020 to 2024, even though staffing only increased 5% over that span, according to the report.
As a result, the watchdog recommended that the agency execute a plan to beef up staffing to meet the counter sniper staffing requirements. The Secret Service concurred, per the report.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment and has not yet received a reply.
Meanwhile, the agency has already spearheaded a series of reforms after the assassination attempt against Trump in 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
For example, a bipartisan House task force that investigated the attack found that the attempted assassination was "preventable" and concluded various mistakes were not an isolated incident.
COULD BUTLER HAPPEN AGAIN? FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENTS WEIGH IN ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN 2025
President Donald Trump raises his arm with blood on his face during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show Inc. July 13, 2024. (Getty)
The agency also overhauled its radio communications networks and interoperability of those networks with Secret Service personnel and state and local law enforcement officers, Rowe told the lawmakers.
"The reforms made over this last year are just the beginning, and the agency will continue to assess its operations, review recommendations and make additional changes as needed," the Secret Service said in a news release in July.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/severe-secret-service-sniper-shortage-leaves-us-leaders-vulnerable-watchdog-warns