WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In March 2015, Clancy and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson created the COO slot after an independent review board examined the operations at the Secret Service and recommended that such a position is established.
“George [Mulligan] is a proven leader who will bring broad management experience, knowledge and initiative to the Secret Service as our first COO [Chief Operating Officer],” Clancy said.
In recent years, the Secret Service has come under severe criticism after a string of high-profile security lapses, as well as unprofessional behavior by the agency’s employees. Some of the more recent lapses include allowing an armed man with criminal history to board an elevator with President Barack Obama, and failing to stop at least two individuals from jumping over the White House fence.
Mulligan will be responsible for overseeing all of the Secret Service’s activities, and his work will particularly be geared at improving the agency’s performance. He will direct coordination and liaison activities while developing budget and planning strategies, according to the release.
Mulligan previously spent 29 years as both a senior civilian executive and a former naval officer at the Department of Defense.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Mulligan to the directorship at the White House Military Office, where he had close interactions with the Secret Service.
The US Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency responsible for investigating financial crimes and protecting current and former leaders of the United States and their families.
