Diplomatic Security’s Gregory Starr Heads to the UN

On May 6^th, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Gregory B. Starr of the United States as chief of United Nations security, replacing David Veness, who resigned last year in the wake of the 2007 terrorist attack against UN facilities in Algiers.

Mr. Starr is currently the State Department’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Diplomatic Security Service Director. As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, he is the number two officer in charge of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), the security and law enforcement arm of the State Department.

According to his State bio, Mr. Starr concurrently serves as Director of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). In this position, Mr. Starr manages the day-to-day operations of some 32,000 Special Agents, Diplomatic Couriers, Security Engineering Officers, Security Technical Specialists, and other professionals who make up DS’s global security and law enforcement force.

Mr. Starr’s new title is Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security. The UN announcement is here. His State Department official bio is here. No word on who will succeed him as numero dos over at DS.