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A security breach doesn't start at the checkpoint. It starts when the wrong person gets the right credential. Lieutenant Gabriel Nastasescu's Pass and ID Unit stands at that critical junction—the moment when identity meets access, where a single error can compromise every security layer that follows. Get a pass into the wrong hands, and no amount of screening, surveillance, or security officers can fix what is already broken.

"We are the very first layer of security," Nastasescu explains. His team's job is straightforward but crucial: ensuring that every pass goes to the correct individual.

The unit issues credentials to everyone: delegates, staff, contractors, journalists, civil society representatives, public visitors. However, each category requires different access privileges. A delegation badge opens doors that a contractor pass doesn't. Mix them up, and you've created a security breach.

Applications are authorized, vetted at reception, entered into badging systems, and encoded with specific access privileges. Everything is reviewed and monitored. This isn't paperwork—it's security work.

During UNGA 80 alone: over 15,000 delegation badges, roughly 20,000 special event tickets, plus secondary passes—about 40,000 total credentials. 40,000 security decisions determining who accesses UN premises and which areas they can enter. On regular days, they process at least 1,000 visitors.

But nothing is fully predictable. Delegations change last-minute. Flights delay. Member states submit urgent requests hours before meetings.

"Last-minute requests—it's normal," Nastasescu says. "Flights happen, people change delegations. We make it possible to credential people at the last minute. It's stressful for everyone."

The Danger of Understaffing

In this context, resource constraints can multiply problems fast. Fewer staff means slower processing and longer lines—delegates, contractors, and journalists stuck before reaching security checkpoints. Long lines create pressure to rush, increasing the chance credentials get issued without proper vetting.

Understaffing also means exhausted personnel working extended hours under intense pressure. When people are stretched thin, the careful verification effort that keeps credentials out of wrong hands becomes harder to maintain. Mistakes become more likely. In credentialing, mistakes have security consequences.

Maintaining the Foundation

The Pass and ID Unit isn't as visible as checkpoint officers or Special Security Units, but it's the foundation. Every security measure depends on one assumption: credentials are legitimate and properly issued.

Without adequate resources, the entire system is at risk the moment someone walks through the door.