John Kelly, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and former head of the U.S. Southern Command, took his oath of office as the country’s fifth homeland security secretary after he received Senate confirmation Friday.
The 45-year military veteran now leads the Department of Homeland Security and its components that include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Secret Service, DHS said Friday.
Kelly previously held senior command roles in Iraq and served as senior military assistant to the defense secretary.
He also worked as legislative assistant to the commandant at the Marine Corps headquarters; special assistant to the supreme allied commander in Europe; and commandant’s liaison officer to the House of Representatives, among other positions.
