Trump picks retired Marine general to lead Secret Service

A security member of the Secret Service approaches the North Portico of the White House in Washington. Photo / AP file

The White House announced that Randolph "Tex" Alles, a senior customs official and retired Marine Corps general, would take over the US Secret Service, becoming the agency's 25th director.

Alles spent 35 years in the Marines before retiring in 2011, according to the White House. He comes to the Secret Service after serving in several roles with US Customs and Border Protection, most recently being appointed acting deputy commissioner on January 20, the day President Donald Trump took office.

Alles has also led the Air and Marine Operations division of the customs agency, which has more than 1000 agents, according to the agency's website.

The appointment comes as the Secret Service has faced criticism over a breach at the White House complex. A man recently scaled a fence and roamed the White House grounds for nearly 17 minutes before he was arrested.

The Secret Service last week restricted public access to the pavement along the White House's southern fence-line. Officials did not attribute that move to the most recent fence-jumper, although they said it could help prevent similar episodes in the future.

Alles comes to the Secret Service as the agency is undergoing a review of security around the White House complex and is straining to respond to the logistical difficulties of protecting the Trump family.

In addition to the President, who frequently flies between Washington and South Florida, the first lady and their 11-year-old son live at a private residence in New York, while Trump's grown adult children have business interests that take them around the world.

The Secret Service has asked for US$60 million in additional funding for next year, nearly half of it to protect the Trump family's private home in New York, according to internal agency documents.

Trump appoints Alles as Secret Service director https://t.co/eQzMWFZ0NN pic.twitter.com/FliPDESMTk

— POLITICO (@politico) April 26, 2017

Earlier this year, Joseph Clancy announced his plans to step down from his post running the Secret Service, which he took over in 2014 during a period of crisis. The longtime Secret Service veteran was picked by then-President Barack Obama to take over after a series of major security breaches and embarrassing lapses, including a slow response to a gunman who fired at the White House in 2011 and another man who was able to enter the executive mansion.

Alles becomes the newest general - and the latest Marine - to serve in the Trump Administration. Trump selected retired Marine General Jim Mattis to be his Defence Secretary, then asked retired Marine General John Kelly to take over the Department of Homeland Security.

The president had also named Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, as his national security adviser, but Flynn resigned this year after his potentially illegal contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States became public.

To replace him, Trump named army lieutenant general H.R. McMaster. Retired army lieutenant general Keith Kellogg, who served as acting national security adviser until McMaster was picked, is the National Security Council's chief of staff.

The Secret Service director does not need to be confirmed by the Senate.