State Dept. to beef up security at diplomatic posts in dangerous areas

MOHAMED AL-SAYAGHI/REUTERS - Protesters climb a fence surrounding the U.S. embassy in Sanaa Sept. 13, 2012. Hundreds of Yemeni demonstrators stormed the U.S. embassy in Sanaa in protest against a film they consider blasphemous to Islam.

By Anne Gearan, WashPost Thursday, December 20, 8:55 AM

The State Department will strengthen security at diplomatic posts in dangerous areas, adding Marine guards and better protecting against fires, in response to the fatal attacks on a lightly guarded compound in Libya, department leaders said Thursday.

A Senate hearing about what went wrong in the Sept. 11 attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, quickly centered on the question of money and how much is needed to protect U.S. diplomats in challenging environments around the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is asking Congress for an additional $750 million to hire about 150 more security officers, a deputy said.

The Pentagon has agreed to send about 225 more Marine guards to medium- and high-threat diplomatic posts, Deputy Secretary of State Thomas R. Nides told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

(More here.)