There have been considerably fewer intense Solar Proton Events (SPE) this solar cycle compared to the previous one. To be considered a SPE event, the intensity of energetic protons observed by NOAA/GOES, integrated above 10 MeV must exceed 10 protons/cm2/s/sr. There have been a total of 35 SPEs this solar cycle, which began in January 2008, compared to 85 at a similar stage in the previous cycle, which began in May 1996. A special class of SPEs are Ground Level Enhancements, or GLEs, that are so intense that they produce neutrons through their interaction with Earth’s upper atmosphere and are observed by at least two separate Earth-based monitors. There were 16 GLEs last solar cycle, but only 1 (or maybe 2 depending on who you talk to) in the current cycle. In this talk I will present one possible interpretation of this which relies on the physics of particle acceleration at shocks and the most notable differences in the relevant parameters between the current and previous solar cycles. In particular, the magnetic field is weaker this cycle compared to the previous one, and this leads to a slower acceleration, and a lower maximum energy of the particles, thereby producing fewer intense high-energy events. Also, there have been fewer fast (>1000 km/s) coronal mass ejections this cycle, which also effects the rate of acceleration of the particles. It is the fastest CME-driven shocks that create the most-intense SPE events.