WASHINGTON — Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Randolph Alles, an Iraq War veteran who oversaw several aviation units, was named the next head of the U.S. Secret Service.
Alles served 35 years in the Marine Corps and retired in 2011. He is currently working as the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, and has been with the agency since shortly after leaving the military.
The position does not require Senate confirmation, although several lawmakers have pushed for a change in the rules in recent years following security lapses and scandals at the protective agency.
The Secret Service has meted out discipline against multiple agents in recent years for instances of security breaches on the White House grounds and improper behavior by agents during overseas trips.
Alles current post puts him in charge of more than 1,200 federal agents and more than 550 aircraft and maritime vessels.
In the military, he was a pilot and instructor at the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School before assuming a host of aviation-related leadership posts, including head of the Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Systems Requirements Branch and commanding general of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing in Iraq in 2008.
He also served as commanding general of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq during that deployment. His final assignment was as director for strategic planning at U.S. Pacific Command.
Currently, Secret Service Deputy Director William Callahan has lead the agency for the last month, since former director Joseph Clancy retired. The Secret Service totals more than 6,500 agents and staffers.
Alles is the latest in a line of former Marine Corps generals to find new jobs in President Donald Trump’s administration. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are the most prominent of that group.
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
