A team of top Secret Service agents subdues attackers targeting the US president.

With their formidable firepower, CAT agents are always ready to strike down anyone plotting to attack the U.S. president or the White House.

Members of the Counter-Attack Team (CAT). Photo: Reuters

During foreign trips, the U.S. president is always accompanied and protected by a large force of Secret Service agents from the U.S. Secret Service (USSS). In addition to the elite Presidential Protection Unit (PPD) bodyguards, the USSS also has a team of "super agents" equipped with heavy weaponry, ready to neutralize any threat, according to the Washington Post.

This elite Secret Service force, known as the Counter Assault Team (CAT), plays a crucial role in the protection of the U.S. president. CAT members are easily recognizable by the large rifles they always carry on their shoulders or military backpacks containing various modern weapons and equipment.

Unlike regular Secret Service agents (PPDs) who only wear suits and carry handguns, CAT members always wear black combat uniforms and carry very heavy equipment. In the presidential motorcade, the CAT team is positioned in a black van following the "Beast" carrying the president.

The role of CAT agents is clear: If the White House or the presidential motorcade is attacked, they will be the ones to deliver "unbelievably powerful suppressive fire" against the threats, according to...Dan Bongino,The former Secret Service agent was once a bodyguard for President Barack Obama and has a younger brother who works for CAT..

Bongino stated that in the event of an attack on the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, the CAT (Combat Attack Team) would be the first to open fire to suppress and provide cover. At that time, the PPD (Present Defense Force) would attempt to get the President of the United States (POTUS) to safety, while the counter-sniper team would be responsible for scouring the entire surrounding area for any hidden enemy snipers.

Because CAT agents are classified as "special forces," they were not involved in evacuating the president from danger. Instead, they relentlessly attacked the enemy with heavy firepower, creating an opportunity for POTUS to safely enter the bulletproof "Beast" vehicle.

"The presidential guard's responsibility isn't to fight; real life isn't like the movies," Bongino said. "Their job is to get the president out of trouble, period. They don't need to fire back at the enemy, because that's CAT's job."

To accomplish this rather arduous mission, CAT was equipped with the SR-16, a powerful carbine similar to the M-4 rifle but reserved exclusively for special forces and not available on the market, according to Ronald Kessler, author of the 2010 book "In the Presidential Secret Service".

Strict selection

CAT agents carry SR-16 rifles while escorting the US president. Photo: Defensereview

Bongino said that while becoming a Secret Service agent protecting the US president is difficult, being a member of CAT is even more challenging, as these "super agents" are required to have extremely high levels of physical and mental health.

In addition to the general standards from USSS, CAT also sets its own extremely strict recruitment regulations. To date, no one, not even the world's best athletes, has been directly admitted to CAT's training school.

To become a CAT agent, candidates must have many years of experience working in the Secret Service. After a rigorous selection and application process, accepted candidates must undergo a week of preparation and six weeks of arduous training, a process that many, even those with years of experience in the Secret Service, find unbearable and decide to quit.

The challenges candidates face require them to be fast and strong, such as running 2.4 km in 9 minutes and doing push-ups while wearing body armor weighing over 20 kg. But good physical fitness isn't enough; CAT agents must also have nerves of steel and be proficient in using heavy weaponry.

They will have to undergo stress tests to challenge their willpower, followed by extremely difficult shooting training. One such test requires candidates to run at full speed for 400 meters, then pick up a gun and hit a target, or spin a kettlebell dozens of times before aiming and shooting.

According to former USSS director Ralph Basham, only about 10% of applicants pass the rigorous selection process and officially become CAT members. Basham believes this is a "very prestigious" position, but not everyone can take it, and historically, only a few rare women have made it onto the CAT recruitment list.

Historically, CAT has never had to deploy forces to counter large-scale attacks targeting the U.S. president. Attacks involving multiple fighters against the White House or the head of state have only appeared in movies.

In fact, Agent Tim McCarthy, who was shot while protecting President Ronald Reagan from an assassination attempt at the Washington Hilton in 1981, was a member of the PPD, not CAT.

Basham said that CAT had only been considered for deployment once before, when they suspected a chemical attack targeting the president, but he did not provide details. Nevertheless, the former Secret Service director stated that CAT's role is irreplaceable.

"They went through every form of training, and they were always anticipating and practicing every situation you could think of. In my time, during the last week of the month, they did nothing but train," he said.

"If the presidential bodyguards get into trouble, the CAT team will come to their rescue. But no one will have to come to the rescue of the CAT team," Bongino emphasized.

The vehicle carrying CAT members. Photo: Flickr

According to VNE