People criticized the Navy secretary for carrying a pistol on Afghanistan base during visit |...

Your correct, I had a Private PSD take us out all the time, they did not like it much until we did contact drills with them all the time. They hated when we went out dual armed, but we had to, because of intel and Threat Con of area. The PPO always says you do not draw unless I tell you. Those were the best guy's I ever worked with. I would say NCIS discussed this with him, and did some drills, they do them all the time. He is also a former Marine CH-46 pilot and SERE, so he can handle himself and a weapon under stress. Good comment, because that was my thought, as been there done that with a PSD.

The issue, I would see is his PSD, that would be primary from NCIS, and then DSS staff in country and RSO, as long as they were okay with it. Most PSD's do not want the Primary armed and or their staff unless they did contact drills and protection drills.

I was on a JTF in Iraq and we had Private PSD, as this was a mixed task force civilian and Military mostly conducting leader engagement meetings with locals leaders, Contractor's, Iraqi Military leaders and Iraqi Government all outside wire, and unsecured by US Military. The PSD had us the US Mil go through security contact drills and what to do and not to do. They hated when we carried both Side Arm and M-4. We dual carried in certain threat Con and areas like Sader City, and some other areas with in our Area of responsibility Baghdad and Ramada Province.

My question would be whether or not he is combat qualified. I’d be a bit nervous about a civilian with a weapon blazing away behind me should there be hostile activities.

MCPO Roger Collins - As I read it, it was offered, he said "ok" ... much like getting offered a cup of joe. I think people are attaching more significance to it than what it deserves. Besides, Spencer, 63, was a Marine H-46 Sea Knight pilot before leaving active duty in 1981 to enter the private finance sector. As far as I am concerned, any certifiably sane veteran can carry anything he wants anywhere he damn well pleases! ;)

I’ll defer to your and others opinions. While, in that situation, I would like to be armed, as Clint Eastwood said, “A man’s got to know his limits.”

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter I normally don't mind him carrying but I do see the issue with him getting involved in a firefight tendency if your armed up your going to join the fight his protective detail though might take issue because their job will be to protect and evacuate him as quickly as possible but it becomes hard to do when you got your principle engaging in a firefight.

PFC (Join to see) - That was a very remote possibility at most. But if they were to start taking fire, I'm pretty sure SECNAV would do as he's told rather than ignoring his security team and engaging in a firefight with an underpowered weapon in order to play the hero or something. Give the guy some credit.