Decoding the U.S. Secret Service Codes Quiz

Answer: the Vice President's airplane

"Carousel" is the secret service codename for the Vice Presidential aircraft, "Air Force Two". "Treasure Ship" is also a codename used for Air Force Two.

Aircraft used to transport the President, the Vice President, as well as senior U.S. officials are assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrew Air Force Base, which is 8 miles east of Washington, D.C., in Prince George's County, Maryland. Among the aircraft assigned to the wing are the two identical, highly modified Boeing VC-25 jet aircraft, tail numbers 28000 and 29000. The two planes are used interchangeably to transport the President and the Vice President. Either plane (or for that matter, any Air Force plane) carries the designation "Air Force One" when the President is on board, and "Air Force Two" when the Vice President is the lead official on board.

The complete message was:
"POTUS (President of the United States) wants to meet with VPOTUS (Vice President of the United States at CAROUSEL (Vice President's airplane) before leaving ACROBAT(Andrews Air Force Base)".

*** Codenames and codes are used by the U.S. Secret Service when discussing activities of the President of the United States, the first family, various high profile figures, both in public and private industry, and various locations and objects.

Answer: Madison Square Garden in New York

Located in 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, Madison Square Garden is a complex of four arenas, best known as the venue for various sports events.
Madison Square Garden has also been the venue of political events and celebrations throughout the history of the complex.
It was the site of the Democratic National Convention in 1924, 1976, 1980, and 1992. The Republican National Convention was held there in 2004. One legendary event held there was the celebration of the 45th birthday of President John F. Kennedy on November 19, 1962, when movie blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe rendered the "unique" version of her song, "Happy Birthday, Mr. President". Some referred to it as a serenade.

The complete message was:
"POTUS (President of the United States) will be leaving ANDY (Andrews Air Force Base), and go the RINGSIDE (Madison Square Garden in New York City), and can later be contacted at ROADHOUSE (Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City)".

*** When originally developed, codes and codename were used for primarily for security purposes. The origination of codenames and codes were the result of onetime concerns when confidential electronic communications were not routinely encrypted.

Answer: Camp David in Maryland

Camp David is an isolated and secluded Naval Support Center, about 60 miles North of Washington D.C., and serves as the mountain retreat for the President of the United states. The retreat was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his administration, and was called "Shangri-La". After taking the office of President, Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name of the compound to Camp David, in honor of his grandson, Dwight David Eisenhower II.

The complete message was:
"POTUS (President of the United States) will leave COBWEB (Vice President's office, meet FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States), and then head for BUCKEYE (Camp David, Maryland).

*** Secret Service codes and codenames are currently used primarily for brevity in messages and more easily understood communications between agents and other public agencies..

Answer: Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.

Washington Dulles International Airport is the public airport that serves the greater Washington, D.C. area. It is located 25 miles West of Washington, D.C., in Dulles, Virginia. The airport was named for John Foster Dulles, who served as Secretary of State in the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The complete message is:
"Departing BLOWTORCH (Secret Service Executive Protection Command Post), Agent Ernest Fox joined BAMBOO (Presidential Motorcade) en route to COACH HOUSE (Dulles Airport in Washington D.C.).

*** Code names are usually selected at random, with emphasis being placed on the use of unambiguous words that are easy to pronounce and readily understood by concerned parties.

*** Code names are assigned by The White House Communication Office.

Answer: Secretary of Defense

The Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, and is a member of the Presidential Cabinet, serving as the primary advisor to the President of the Unit States on matters concerning the armed services and military.
By Federal statute, the Secretary of Defense must be a civilian who has not been active or associated with the military services for at least 10 years. The Secretary of Defense is 6th in line for succession to the Presidency of the United States.

The complete message is:
NIGHTHAWK (The President's helicopter) will rendezvous with HOLLY (Army helicopter) and FINLEY (Secretary of Defense) at the PLAYGROUND (Helicopter landing pad at the Pentagon).

*** Code names are used by the Secret Service during radio and telephone communications for purpose of brevity in long or possibly complicated messages, and as a means to insure the clear understanding of communicated information.

Answer: New York City Protection Command Post

The New York City Protection Command Post is a unit comprised of various New York City resources (police, fire, and medical services) formed to coordinate the safety of dignitaries visiting the City of New York.

The full message was:
SHOTGUN (New York City Command Post) and BROADSIDE (New York City Protection Command Post) will assist in the preparations for EAGLE'S (President Bill Clinton) excursion to WAREHOUSE (Sheraton Center in New York).

* Sheraton Center is a location that contains executive conference rooms.

Answer: the President's follow vehicle

In a "standard" Presidential motorcade of 27 vehicles, the 7th vehicle is the designated President's follow car (assuming that the #6 vehicle in the motorcade is the limousine carrying the President), and contains members of the United States Secret Service.
Like Marine One (The President's helicopter), the Presidential limousines are airlifted (usually by the Air Force C-17 Globemaster III Cargo Planes) to where ever the President travels.

The message is"
STAGE COACH (the President's limousine) and HALFBACK (the President's follow vehicle) were sent to BAMBOO (Presidential Motorcade) for the COMPANION (Blair House) trip.

*** As a matter of tradition, Secret Service Codenames assigned to members of the First Family all begin with the same letter of the alphabet. In the case of Barack Obama, who was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, his codename was "Renegade". His wife, First Lady Michelle Obama was assigned the codename of "Renaissance". The two daughters of the Obamas, Malia and Sasha were assigned the codenames "Radiance" and "Rosebud", respectively.
For George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, through his two terms, his codename was first "Tumbler", which was later changed to "Trailblazer". First Lady Laura Bush was designated as "Tempo". The Bush twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna were assigned the codenames "Turquoise" and "Twinkle", respectively.

Answer: aircraft carrying the press

The press and media are sometimes transported in a second aircraft to cover the activities of the President of the United States. The Presidential aircraft, with the designation of Air Force One (when the President is on board) can also accommodate the press and media.

The message was:
At 1530 hours (3:30pm), CROWN (White House Situation Room) reported COWPUNCHER (Air Force One) was WHEELS UP (Take off of Presidential aircraft) with CHANDLER (U.S. Department of State) staffers, and that DOG POUND (press aircraft) close behind.

Answer: Alexander Haig

A former U.S. Army General, Alexander Haig was selected by President Ronald Reagan for the position of Secretary of State. Haig held the position from January 22, 1981 until July 5, 1982. Haig, a veteran of the Korean War and the Vietnam War, later served as the 4th Deputy National Security Adviser in Richard Nixon's administration from 1970-1973, as White House Chief of Staff in 1973 and 1974 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and as 7th Supreme Allied Commander Europe from December 15, 1974 until July 1 1979.

Translation of this statement would be:
Historical records from the Secret Service indicate that on February 10, 1982, CLAW HAMMER (Secretary of State Alexander Haig) traveled to BRIMSTONE (Ronald Reagan Ranch in California) to personally notify RAWHIDE (President Ronald Reagan) of the situation.

In case you were wondering, both Frank Sinatra and Pope John Paul II, had secret service codenames.
Sinatra was known as NAPOLEON, and Pope John Paul II was HALO.

Answer: Secret Service Training Division

The Secret Service Training Division maintains a training facility in Beltsville, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Agents receive their initial training, an intensive 12-week program, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Facility in Glynco, Georgia. Following successful completion, agents undergo another 12 weeks of specialized training at the James J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville. The center was named for the man who served as head of the Secret Service from 1961 until 1973. In addition to the standard training on law enforcement and protection procedures, agent receive training in diplomatic immunity, international treaties, and protocol.

The complete message is:
Agent-in Charge Mason reported BANDBOX (White House Security Detail) visited BASEBALL (Secret Service Training Division) prior to heading for CARTWHEEL (National Security Agency Headquarters at Ft. Meade, Maryland) before the conference with PACEMAKER (Vice President of the United States).


References used for this quiz included:

Secret Service Codenames
www.2600.com/secret_more/codes

Wikipedia - Secret Service Codenames
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/secret_servicezz-codensmes

Secret Service Codenames
www.nndb.com/lists1050/000140291