US Intelligence Agencies Helping To Secure The Summer Olympics In Paris

The US intelligence and diplomatic community is assisting in securing the upcoming Paris Olympics from potential terrorist attacks.

The United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which provides imagery intelligence and geospatial data for national security planning and support, is providing geospatial reference products to the Olympic planning committee.
An official told The Daily Beast that the NGA has been working on security preparations for two years.

A little-known Department-run group called the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) is also in charge of security matters for some security operations in Paris. It provides both public and private sources of information on regional security to American private sector interests.

A bulletin reviewed by The Daily Beast states that the council will provide a news portal, in-person meetings, security assessments, and daily security reports for the Paris Olympics. The council is also managing a WhatsApp group for the event.

Images with the slogan “Paris is getting ready for 2024,” referring to the 2024 Olympic Games that Paris has been awarded, are projected on the Arc de Triomphe monument during a laser and 3D video mapping show as part of Paris’ New Year celebrations on December 31, 2017.

Companies participating in this year’s Olympics can apply for access to the information, according to a Diplomatic Security Service official.

Meanwhile, the State Department’s Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST) will coordinate the safety of US citizens and visiting VIPs. The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, which is in charge of US security at the Paris Olympics, is collaborating more broadly with French law enforcement and security organisations.

The National Counterterrorism Centre is also assisting the United States in its security efforts for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to an official.

Other elements of the United States intelligence community, such as the CIA, NSA, and FBI, have previously provided security support for the Olympics. For example, the FBI has pre-staged agents abroad to assist in the event of a terrorist attack, whereas the NSA has provided signals intelligence support for threat information sharing.

Preparations coincide with a deadly shooting attack in Moscow earlier this year, which ISIS claimed responsibility for. Following the attack, France increased security to its highest level.

According to the BBC, France has been conducting military drills behind the scenes in preparation for the Olympics to thwart terrorist attacks.

The opening ceremony is expected to be grand, drawing inspiration from Paris’ romantic charm, with athletes floating down the Seine River with views of the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower in the background. However, French officials have hinted that there is a backup plan if things go wrong.

According to El Pais, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that “we will be prepared” during his recent remarks at the Aquatic Centre. “If the threat evolves,” he stated, “we have withdrawal scenarios.”

Already, plans for the opening ceremony on the Seine have been postponed. Organisers initially planned for 600,000 attendees, but the number has been reduced by half.Marc

Guillaume, the prefect of the Paris region, has also stated that there will be fewer than 100 boats, rather than the originally planned 160 boats, in testimony to the French Senate.

A person familiar with the plans told The Daily Beast that 45,000 security officers will be working security for the ceremony, including on the upper quays, as opposed to the usual 3,000-4,000 officers securing the scene. The Paris 2024 organisers will deploy 2,000 private security guards to protect the lower quays and the Trocadéro near the Eiffel Tower. A person familiar with the plans told The Daily Beast that government forces will be deployed to secure both the river and airspace.

The Paralympic opening ceremony will take place on the Champs-Elysées and at Place de la Concorde, near the US Embassy in Paris.

The French are accustomed to terrorist attacks, having dealt with ISIS attacks on the Bataclan concert hall in 2015 and the ramming attack in Nice in 2016. In 2015, terrorists targeted a sporting venue, the National Stadium outside Paris. The Olympics’ closing ceremonies will take place at the same location, the Stade de France.

France has successfully thwarted multiple ISIS plots this year, according to officials.

According to a 2023 study citing the Global Terrorism Database, terrorist attacks on sporting venues are extremely rare, with only 74 such attacks in the last five decades.

The French government is investigating the backgrounds of game volunteers and private security officers, according to El Pais.

France has also reached out to 45 countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, to provide police officers or civilian personnel to assist with Olympic security. The military has asked foreign military officials to provide “very specific” assistance for the games.

France has already been able to demonstrate some of its counterterrorism efforts in recent days. Paris police increased security ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals in early April.

ISIS-related media threatened stadiums ahead of the games, naming four with the caption “Kill them all.” France’s Interior Ministry acknowledged that it is on high alert, but it is unclear where the threat is coming from.

The French interior minister, Gérard Darmanin, stated that it is unclear which locations may be targeted or under what conditions.