Missile Defenses Guarding Mar-a-Lago Since Late October as Secret Service Cites Heightened Threat
Avenger missile systems and counter-drone equipment have been stationed on a barge off Mar-a-Lago since late October, a precaution the Secret Service requested amid a heightened threat environment.
The U.S. Army has stationed surface-to-air missile defenses at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, since late October, after the Secret Service requested additional protection amid what federal officials describe as a heightened threat environment.
The defenses - Avenger air-defense systems armed with Stinger missiles, along with counter-drone equipment - are positioned on a barge in the water adjacent to the estate. They were first photographed on October 23 and drew national attention late last week.
U.S. Northern Command confirmed the deployment was made at the Secret Service's request. A senior Secret Service official, Matthew Quinn, said in a recent court filing that threats against the president have risen 40 percent from a year ago, describing the airborne threat as "persistent and substantial."
The measures are precautionary and were in place before this weekend; officials have not tied them to any specific new threat.
(Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)