Surface-to-air missile systems added at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach

A pair of Avenger Air Defense Systems has been placed on a floating barge next to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach
Photo: Palm Beach Post

Federal officials have added another layer of protection to the secure area around President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.

And the move comes as a proposal to permanently lock down the airspace over Mar-a-Lago remains in the works, Palm Beach Daily News reports.

A pair of Avenger Air Defense Systems are now positioned on a floating barge in the Lake Worth Lagoon on the west side of the seawall next to Trump's historic 17-acre oceanfront property.

A photographer for the Palm Beach Daily News first noted the new surface-to-air protection vehicles on Oct. 23, ahead of Trump's arrival later that day for an overnight stay at his home.

A separate bank of Avenger Air Defense Systems has been positioned on the south side of President Donald J. Trump International Airport, near the area where Air Force One parks during Trump's visits to Palm Beach.

"The U.S. Secret Service continues to operate in a heightened threat environment, and this agency continuously adapts its protective operations to incorporate cutting-edge tools, technology, and methods to safeguard our protectees," a Secret Service spokesperson told the Palm Beach Daily News.

Florida. Mar-a-Lago — Trump's permanent residence
Photo: Florida Politics

Trump, Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach

Made by Boeing, each Avenger comprises a modified Humvee equipped with a rotating turret that has two pods capable of launching short-range infrared-homing Stinger missiles, according to a U.S. Army website.

The Avenger's targets could include cruise missiles, drones, helicopters and low-flying and high-speed fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Army. The Avenger is a type of mobile short-range air defense system, or "SHORAD," military records show.

The Secret Service has worked with other federal agencies to increase security around Mar-a-Lago — Trump's permanent residence — in the years since he was first elected to the White House in 2016.

Security measures include the recent proposal of so-called "Special Air Traffic Rules" that would in effect create a no-fly zone for Mar-a-Lago airspace. That also would essentially make permanent the around-the-clock temporary flight restrictions that have been in place since Oct. 20, 2025, whether or not Trump is in residence at Mar-a-Lago. Those restrictions were just extended for another year.

Secret Service officials previously said they asked the Federal Aviation Administration to implement the flight restrictions because of increased threats to Trump, his family members and his properties.

More than 160 planes and drones have breached the airspace over Palm Beach since the restrictions took effect in October 2025, according to an Aug. 11 FAA filing in federal court that was first reported that month by the Palm Beach Daily News.

The Secret Service's request to enact the restrictions was based on information that included "terroristic threats," the FAA said in that filing, which was part of a judicial review of the agency's implementation sought by the town of Palm Beach, the city of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County.

Threats against Trump and other people protected by the Secret Service were up 40% in July over the same time the year before, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew C. Quinn wrote in an affidavit that was included with the FAA's filing.

"The airborne threat vector at Mar-a-Lago is persistent and substantial," he wrote. "As the location of a primary residence of the President, from which he frequently conducts the business of the government's highest office, that threat vector must be mitigated to the extent possible whether he is in residence or not."

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