September 6, 2007: Even the U.S. State Department has its own commando force. For nearly a century, the State Department has had a security force, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (BDS). But over a hundred of the 1,400 BDS personnel belong to a more specialized organization, the Mobile Security Deployment (MSD). Members of MSD are trained to deal with kidnapping or terrorist threats at embassies. Most members are former military, and receive an additional six months training at a special State Department facility in Virginia. The skills they acquire are special operations type things, including how to drive a car in a combat situation. The MSD agents are mainly used to analyze dangerous situations, come up with a security plan, and carry out direct action (commando type stuff) if needed. Mainly, the MSD is a defensive organization, trained and equipped to protect diplomatic personnel under the most trying circumstances. That involves knowing how to evacuate an embassy under attack, usually with the help of U.S. Marines or SOCOM operatives.