Insane Security Features Of The White House

Since 1800, every single president of The United States has lived and worked in the White House. It’s a big job that puts a big target on their backs so over the years, security features of the White House have been constantly upgraded. The exact details are kept pretty confidential, but from past biographies, public construction records, and well-timed photos, we do actually have an idea of what’s going on behind the front door! From roof-top missiles, to hidden snipers, and even underground bunkers, let's investigate what makes the White House a formidable fortress.

Bulletproof Windows

You already know the White House is huge but how huge? Well, the largest building of the complex the Executive Residence sits on 18 acres of land, is six-stories tall, and has a floor space of 55,000 square feet; that’s around 25 times the size of a standard American house! And that means it also has a lot of windows! Around 147, in fact.

Great for natural light, but they also present 147 opportunities for anyone with a gun and a vendetta! But it isn’t that easy! Just ask Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez. He believed the federal government was trying to control him through things like GPS chips, fluoride and aspartame, the conspiracy theory trifecta!

So in November 2011, he drove across the country from Idaho, parked his car and then without warning opened fire on the White House with a semi-automatic assault rifle. Despite firing at least 8 rounds, only one hit a window on the second floor but it didn’t penetrate the glass! Because every last one of the White House’s windows are made of bulletproof glass!

It’s not known exactly how sturdy the White House windows are, although level 4 bulletproof glass is strong enough to repel bullets from firearms more powerful than a handgun. That being the White House though, it’s likely they’ve got the best in class, otherwise known as level 8 bulletproof glass. That stuff is a around 2.5 inches thick and designed to withstand multiple shots from military-grade automatic firearms. With any luck, that’ll dissuade any other conspiracy theorists from just rocking up with a tin hat and a gun!

Snipers

If you’ve ever visited the White House and looked up, you may have noticed something strange on the roof of the Executive Residence. A Reddit user was taking a picture when they spotted what looks like a tripod on the roof and then something else way scarier below the tripod: a sniper rifle! Yes, there are snipers on the White House roof!

The Counter Sniper Team is a branch of the Secret Service, responsible for providing long-range observation and real-time information on any threats to the building. It’s unknown how many snipers are on the roof at any one time. Anyone up there has a pretty clear shot over all 18 acres of the compound! It’s reported that each member of the Counter Sniper Team must qualify for the job every month by hitting targets as far as 3,000 feet away! That’s more than half a mile!

Although those guys are blessed with aim that Call of Duty snipers can only dream of, they don’t get much chance to show off their sniping skills. In fact, never have the Counter Sniper Team shot a threat on site. Instead, they’re predominately stationed to monitor and survey activity around the building! So, next time you pay a visit to the president’s house don’t forget to smile, you’re on scope!

No-Fly Zone

Very few security measures go over the White House Sniper’s heads literally. Because the airspace above the White House is classed as a special restricted zone. The Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area, or SFRA, is a circular area with a 33 mile radius around Washington.

For any aircraft flying within the SFRA, pilots must obtain an advanced clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly in the area. If they don’t, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD will issue a warning signal. If the pilot refuses to divert their course, they’ll either be intercepted by military aircraft and escorted to the nearest airport or destroyed.

Back in 2023, a Cessna 560 Citation V carrying 4 people, was on track to enter the SFRA without authorization, or any communication from the pilot. Six F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews, intercepting the Cessna in just 12 minutes. It was escorted by the F-16’s who tried to establish visual communication with the pilot, but not luck. 10 minutes later, the Cessna crashed in Virginia.

F-16s scrambled due to unresponsive plane by KHOU 11

It was theorized the pilot had suffered from hypoxia, where there wasn’t enough oxygen in the cabin, causing everyone on board to pass out. While it was tragic it did show just how formidable the White House’s air precautions are, with 6 jets for 1 plane in just 12 minutes.

Missile Battery

That Cessna crashed of its own accord, but how would an aircraft that somehow entered the no-fly zone be destroyed? We got a glimpse of the White House’s anti-aircraft force when Shepherd Johnson posted a series of screenshots from Google Earth on the website Cryptome. The images show what appears to be a missile battery.

Badass as it’d be for the White House roof to be equipped with missiles, those were actually found on the roof of the New Executive Office building, a stone’s throw from the POTUS’ house. At first, a lot of people didn’t think that was actually a missile battery however, in November 2019, the White House was placed on full alert due to an airspace violation, as an ominous ‘slow moving blob’ was picked up on the radar.

As a result of that alert, a CBS News reporter noticed something strange on the roof of the New Executive Office building. Reportedly, an air missile system was deployed on the roof of the building across from the White House. It’s believed that particular missile system is an Avenger air defense.

That bad boy consists of 8 infrared-guided stinger missiles, each with a frightening 2-mile range! Thankfully, we never got to see the full force of the missile system. The question is, what was it that entered the restricted airspace above the White House? Another unconscious pilot? A genuine threat to the White House’s security? It turned out to be neither, the "slow moving blob" was actually just a flock of birds.

White House Dogs

Dogs are a man’s best friend and also a man’s best bodyguard, if you live in the White House. Since 1976, the Secret Service have been using guard dogs to protect the White House’s grounds. The dog of choice tends to be the Belgian Malinois, as they’ve been selectively bred over the centuries to be good workers, effective at detecting explosives, and agile capable of clearing 6 ft fences with ease, and can run at speeds of up to 30 mph!

Belgian Malinois Speed by Steve Salinas

On top of that, Belgian Malinois’ have been specifically bred for their ability to bite, meaning there’s nothing more rewarding to them than clamping down on something! Sounds great, as long as you’re not the one being bitten! Each dog stationed at the White House must complete a 20 week training course, meaning those guys are trained to know a threat when they see one.

In 2014, Dominic Adesanya jumped the White House fence before being swiftly wrestled down by two Belgian Malinois’, called Hurricane and Jordan. Terrifying as being attacked by those dog's sounds, recently, the Department of Homeland Security posted an article confirming the deployment of robotic dogs at the U.S-Mexico border. The 110-pound heavy robot can move at speeds close to 7 mph, and even come armed with an unmanned rifle to offer precision fire.

Drones

Drones, they’re everywhere these days! But those devices can also be used for destruction if fitted with an explosive. With that in mind, you might be surprised to know that in 2015, a drone was spotted flying around the gardens of the White House. Despite a secret service officer hearing and seeing the drone, they were unable to bring it down.

Luckily on that occasion, the drone belonged to a government employee who was just a drone hobbyist using the toy after his shift. The incident, though harmless, did raise concerns about how easily drones could get close to the White House.

Since then, DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, introduced geofencing; Drones that are programmed with geofencing aren’t able to fly in active no-go zones, like the White House. If a drone were to fly towards the building, its built-in GPS will sense the boundary and stop mid-flight.

The Secret Service have even began deploying their own drones for protection of the president! In 2017, while on a golf trip, President Trump was followed by a drone. Unsurprisingly, the Secret Service remained tight-lipped on the capabilities of the device, although it did feature electro-optical and infrared cameras to scan for any threats. Still, you wouldn’t be surprised if the White House was working on some supersized weaponized lawn drones!

Fence Security

Not all the White House defense features are high-tech, though. In fact, this next security feature goes all the way back to the start of the 19th century, just a year after the building was first opened. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to erect a simple wooden post and rail fence around the building in 1801.

Over time, the fences became taller and more robust, but they haven’t been impenetrable. In 2014, Omar Gonzalez scaled the fence carrying a knife, before sprinting across the north lawn and actually made it inside the White House. He was hauled down and arrested by security officers before doing any damage, but after finding a hatchet machete and more than 800 rounds of ammunition in his car nearby, the White House took it as a warning.

To ramp up security, construction on a new and improved 13 foot tall fence began in 2019 ! Yeah, good luck scaling that! The new fence, estimated to cost $64 million, features anti-climb and intrusion detection technology. There are also rumored to be multiple pressure sensors on the fence, which alert security whenever pressure is applied to the bars.

Uniformed Division

If you have ever been to the White House, you might remember the guards dressed in black. They are part of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division. In other words, those are the security guards of the White House, ensuring no external threats get near the building. It’s not known how many are patrolling the White House at any given time. However, the Secret Service employs around 1,300 of those guys.

So, chances are, on any given day there’ll be hundreds of Uniformed Division agents on duty! That may sound like overkill, but that’s not the half of it. Each recruit who must already have extensive experience must undergo an intensive 29 week training course, where they’re then assessed and directed to specialized teams. That ranges from White House Security, to Counter Sniper Operations, K-9 units, Emergency Response and more.

Infrared Protection

While some of you may think the cover of night might provide the best opportunity to try and break into the White House, you might not have considered the secret sensors! Although it’s never officially been disclosed, multiple news outlets have claimed that infrared sensors surround the perimeter of the building.

Those sensors are apparently able to detect heat signatures, so can detect human-shaped movement around the building even at night, and trigger alarms. While any spy movie fan might conjure up images of an intruder being detected by a swarm of lasers, it’s more likely that the infrared sensors are instead surveilled by a member of the White House security team.

So, why wouldn’t the Secret Service officially confirm that? If they revealed the location of the sensors, anyone dumb enough to try making a move could potentially plot out a route over the grounds to avoid them? Or try taking them out? Regardless, not knowing where they are, or even if they are, is more scary.

Food Tasters

Being the president of the United States, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want it. Cool as it sounds, what the president eats is actually a security concern. As someone at risk of assassination, the president is always in danger of being poisoned.

As such, off White House Food Tasters are believed to be employed to test meals and foods for poison. While the Secret Service has never officially confirmed that, the Service itself is known to go to great lengths to ensure the food being served to the President isn’t tampered with when they’re out in restaurants or on the go.

Should the president go out for a meal even just to grab a burger a secret service agent who is also a trained chef watches over all the staff in the kitchen! In that regard, it’d make sense an official taster is among their ranks. What’s more, there was a job advert put out for the role back in 2020 on the White House’s official LinkedIn!

At George Bush’s presidential opening lunch in 2001, the New York Times wrote: The president’s tasters were on the job by 6AM to make certain no-one was trying to poison him. And again in 2013, Barack Obama refused to eat a lobster salad at his lunch in the Capitol apparently because his taster wasn’t available.

Oval Office Security

From a variety of photos and documentaries, we know the Secret Service aren’t always in direct contact with the President, sometimes they just need to conduct business alone in the oval Office. While that gives the president some privacy, how can the agents guarantee the president’s protection when they’re not in the same room?

Political researcher and author Brad Meltzer claims there are weight-sensitive pressure pads under the carpet of the Oval Office, allowing agents to track his movements. The only problem with that is the Oval office isn’t completely covered by carpet, so do agents burst in if the president stands and stares out the window?

Seems unlikely. Though that’s not the only unconfirmed claim. For decades, there’ve been rumors of a secret door, allowing the president to escape in case of an emergency. Many think it’s found under the desk in the Oval Office, and at 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep, it’s certainly big enough to hide a big hole! Although the desk does have a panel at the front which opens up like a hidden door, chances are it doesn’t house some hidden stairway to safety.

However, another potential Oval Office escape point is found on the wall.

Inside The White House With President Joe Biden by Architectural Digest

If you look closely, you’ll see a wall looks suspiciously like a door! But why would an office need a door to be hidden? Perhaps it’s an escape point to some secret underground lair? As much as we’d love to believe that, that side door actually just leads out to the corridor, whereas the main door we see there leads to the president’s study. That’s disappointing! But luckily, the rest of the White House does have some secrets hidden in plain sight.

Secret Tunnels

Big as the White House is, did you know that building is actually much larger than it looks? Believe it or not, underneath that building are a whole host of secret tunnels! Work first began on an underground tunnel system there in the early 19th century, but it’s not the James Bond escape route you’re thinking of.

The White House’s first tunnel was constructed to flush out water and waste from the house. In 1941 during World War 2, plans were made to dig another big burrow, due to fears an enemy bombardment would bury President Franklin D. Roosevelt underneath a pile of rubble.

Reportedly, a massive 761-feet long tunnel was created, allowing the president to evacuated from the White House to the nearby Treasury Building. Supposedly, the basement of the Treasury Building is also connected to the nearby Treasury Annex. The tunnel is said to lead out to a locked door at the back of the Treasury Annex, found at the end of a long, narrow alleyway on H Street.

If you visit H Street today you’ll find an alley with a ram-proof vehicle barrier and bulletproof secret service kiosk. Sounds like an awful lotta protection for an alleyway, right? The White House has remained pretty tight-lipped about its underground burrowing, so we can’t know for sure how extensive the tunnel system is. But if their other security measures are anything to go by, it could be like a maze down there!

Underground Bunker

Back in the 1950’s, the Truman reconstruction of the White House showed the world that there would be a new subterranean level to that fortress! Today, that basement houses areas like the president’s own bowling alley and a private dentist’s office! Cool as that is, if you go deeper, you’ll find something more impressive, an underground bunker! It was built around the time one of those previously mentioned tunnels was dug during World War 2!

Formally known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, it’s located underneath the East Wing. The space is used in case of emergencies, like the fateful day of September 11th 2001, when President Bush met with his National Security Council in that bunker, in case of another attack.

Former first Lady, Laura Bush said in her memoir: I was hustled inside and downstairs through a pair of big steel doors that closed behind me, forming an airtight seal. I was now in one of the unfinished subterranean hallways underneath the White House, heading for the PEOC. Photos from 2001 showed the PEOC contained all the modern communication equipment of the time, including phones and TVs to coordinate with external government units.

Unsurprisingly, today, specifics about the PEOC are highly classified, but we do know the space to be deep underground. Reportedly, the most destructive U.S nuclear weapon could blast up to 1,000 feet below the surface. So, it’s safe to assume, that bunker could be at least that far below ground. For reference, that’d make the PEOC around as far underground, the Eiffel Tower is tall! That place is so deep that it requires elevator access!

Background Checks For Visitors

When you think of a secure location, it’s not normally a place that is visited by over 1.2 million people per year! Yet, that’s exactly what happens at the White House. Visitors enter through the East Wing, before walking through the Residence and exploring places like the State Dining Room and Family Theater.

But normally when you visit a museum or art gallery, you can just rock up on the day. That isn’t going to happen at the White House, though. Anyone that wants to visit the presidential palace for a tour, has to book it at least 21 days in advance because of background checks.

You need to submit a bunch of personal information, and bring identification with you on the day before stepping foot inside the place. But if you thought that sounded strict, wait till you learn what items are prohibited from being brought inside the building! There are a whole host of seemingly innocent everyday items, including pointed objects at all like pens and pencils, flags, bags of any kind, food, etc. that you cannot take inside.

Marine One

While bringing a prohibited pen into the White House is forgivable, it’d be far less sympathetic of someone trying to fly a helicopter around the building’s perimeter. Yet, crazy as it sounds, that’s exactly what happened back in 1974. Robert Preston was a U.S Army private, so you’d presume he’d be a fairly responsible fella.

For some reason, Preston decided it’d be a bright idea to steal a helicopter from an unguarded airfield, before flying 20 miles southwest towards the White House, where he briefly landed on the South Lawn. Before long he was off again, except that time he was being chased by a police helicopter.

After deliberating in the air, Preston thought his best bet was to give himself up to President Richard Nixon in person. So, unbelievably he flew all the way back to the White House, where he parked on the South Lawn again! As he was landing, the Secret Service opened fire, lightly wounding Preston.

After that, you’d think the White House would ban helicopters from their airspace outright, but today choppers are also used to protect the president. Specifically, Marine One, which is the call sign of any U.S Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president, usually the Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King, or the VH-60N White Hawk. You may be wondering where those helicopters come from. After all, they don’t magically appear out of thin air to whisk the president away!

Marine Corps Helicopter base is at Quantico, Virginia, just over 30 miles from the White House. Considering that current models are said to fly at speeds greater than 150 mph, it’d take them just 12 minutes to make the journey from Quantico to the White House lawn.

INSIDE The NEW MARINE ONE: The $478 Million Presidential Helicopter Fleet by Nauctis

Such speed also means those helicopters can quickly fly the president out of the White House’s grounds if anything disastrous were to happen. Yet, speed alone isn’t what makes the Marine One helicopters such supreme security features. Those choppers are also fitted with ballistic armor and antimissile features, making them virtually impossible to shoot down.

I hope you were amazed at the insane security features of the white house! Thanks for reading.