Vance's security detail 'fed up' with hasty travel requests
Vice President JD Vance’s Secret Service detail is reportedly “fed up” with frequent, last-minute personal and family travel requests, including a planned Marine Two helicopter trip to take his son to a golf lesson that weather later scrubbed, according to MS NOW.
Key Takeaways
- Agents assigned to Vance and his family say short-notice “off the record” trips are straining morale and schedules.
- A Marine Two flight planned for Vance and his son’s golf lesson was canceled amid thunderstorms and high winds near Washington, D.C.
- Past vice presidents typically had agents drive children to activities rather than use military helicopters, reporting notes.
- Administration officials say schedule shifts come with the job and protecting a young family.
What did Vance’s security detail complain about?
According to MS NOW, people familiar with the detail say agents protecting Vance and second lady Usha Vance have grown frustrated with hastily arranged personal travel.
Those trips—known inside the Secret Service as “off the record,” or OTR, movements—can force agents to cancel days off, drop other plans, and draft security arrangements on short notice. Current and former personnel told the outlet that a repeated pattern can erode morale.
One source familiar with the mood inside the service told MS NOW the detail is tired of insufficient notice and of “making everything an OTR,” adding that Vance “thinks he can still move around like a U.S. Senator.” Follow-up coverage by The Independent and The Daily Beast echoed the same reporting on agent frustration.
Why does the Marine Two golf lesson plan matter?
Last Thursday, agents discussed among themselves a planned perk for the Vance family: joining a military helicopter crew to fly the vice president’s young son to a golf lesson, MS NOW reported. Vance planned to travel with his son, administration officials familiar with the schedule said.
The Marine Two flight—from the Naval Observatory toward the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base—was canceled at the last minute because of severe thunderstorms and high winds in the Washington area, according to people with knowledge of the flight plans.
There is no formal Secret Service rule barring a vice president’s child from a government helicopter, MS NOW reported, but current and former supervisors said they were unaware of precedent for that use. Operating Marine Two can cost taxpayers roughly $16,000 to $24,600 per hour, the outlet said. Past vice presidents have typically had agents drive children to activities instead.
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How have officials responded to the travel pushback?
An administration official argued the Naval Observatory-to-Andrews route is familiar, would avoid traffic disruption, and would keep the family in a secure setting. Officials also said Vance has not demanded special treatment, while noting unique challenges of protecting a young, growing family and frequent around-the-world travel.
MS NOW reported the Vances recently required several last-minute helicopter trips around Middleburg, Virginia, while hunting for a house to buy or rent for their expanding family. They are the first family with young children at the Naval Observatory since Al Gore’s household more than 25 years ago.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said agents who join protective details understand long hours, frequent travel, and the need for constant flexibility, including nights, weekends, and holidays, while working to preserve normalcy “to the extent possible.”
Reporting also described informal detail memorabilia—custom coins and stickers reading “Bobcat OTR Survivors Club,” a nod to Vance’s code name, with the motto “Advance. OTR. Repeat.”—as a sign of how agents have internalized the pace of short-notice movements.