Snowstorm, 670 km Motorcade: How Jaishankar Reached the UN Amid Flight Shutdown.
On November 13, as a US government shutdown grounded thousands of flights, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar faced a high-stakes challenge: reach New York on time for a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
With commercial air travel impossible, the US Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) implemented a rarely used contingency. Jaishankar was received at the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge on the US–Canada border and transported by armoured motorcade over 670 km across New York State.
The operation involved 27 DSS agents, supported by reinforcements driving overnight. Teams coordinated with the Indian UN mission, Canadian security forces, and US Customs and Border Protection to ensure a seamless border handoff. The convoy traversed freezing temperatures, low visibility, and remote stretches of upstate New York, balancing security with comfort for the minister.
Midway, an explosive-detection K9 flagged Jaishankar’s vehicle. Agents secured the area, conducted a full inspection, and resumed without incident. Later, a DSS agent aided a hit-and-run victim without disrupting the mission, highlighting the dual responsibility of protection and public safety.
Despite the challenges, Jaishankar arrived on schedule at UN Headquarters, where he discussed global order, multilateralism, and regional hotspots with Guterres during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. He also extended an invitation for the Secretary-General to visit India, continuing dialogue from their previous meeting in September 2025.
Within DSS, the operation is being hailed as a case study in adaptability and crisis management—demonstrating how agents maintain disciplined, high-level protection even under extreme logistical pressures.
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