Mitchell’s Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) students received a visit from the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, Gentry O. Smith, who praised Mitchell’s BLET students for accepting the call to become law enforcement officers. In his role, Mr. Smith oversees the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Department of State. Diplomatic Security is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy throughout the world.
Smith provided BLET students with an overview of his career journey from the recruitment academy to his current position with the federal government as Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security since 2021. Mr. Smith also put into context the importance of protecting the communities that these BLET students will serve.
Smith is a native North Carolinian who started his career with the Raleigh Police Department. In his role as Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, Smith leads a force of Special Agents, Diplomatic Couriers, Security Engineering Officers, Security Technical Specialists, contractors, other security specialists, and administrative personnel.
Learn more about Mitchell’s Basic Law Enforcement program via this link.
About Gentry O. Smith
Gentry O. Smith joined Diplomatic Security (DS) as a special agent in 1987. Over the course of his DS career, he served as Director of the Office of Physical Security Programs, as Regional Security Officer at U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan, and at U.S. Embassy Rangoon, Burma. He also served as a security officer and as Deputy Regional Security Officer during two separate tours at U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt. In October 2009, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary and Assistant Director for Countermeasures where he oversaw the physical and technical security of U.S. diplomatic missions overseas, holding the rank of Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. Mr. Smith left DS in 2014 to become Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions, where he held the rank of Ambassador. He retired from the U.S. Department of State in February 2017. As a graduate of North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Mr. Smith is the recipient of numerous State Department honors and awards. He has served as a guest lecturer to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Security Officers Course, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Virginia Homicide Investigators Association, and several colleges and universities.
