WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell today announced the appointment of Frank J. Larkin as Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper. The Sergeant at Arms is the Senate’s chief law enforcement and protocol officer, and principal administrative manager for most support services in the United States Senate. Larkin succeeds Andrew B. Willison, who has served as Sergeant at Arms since May 5, 2014. McConnell will nominate Larkin to be elected Sergeant at Arms on Jan. 6, 2015, when the 114th Congress convenes.

McConnell also announced the appointment of James W. Morhard as Deputy Senate Sergeant at Arms. That appointment marks a return to the Senate for Morhard, whose tenure in the Senate included serving as chief of staff to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Frank Larkin, a former Navy SEAL, has held senior management positions at the Department of Defense and the United States Secret Service, and is eminently qualified to take on the vital role of maintaining security in the Capitol and all Senate office buildings as well as protecting the members themselves,” McConnell said. “Frank’s strong background across the defense, intelligence, law enforcement, cyber security and infrastructure protection sectors makes him the ideal candidate to oversee the Sergeant at Arms position in the 114th Congress.”

For a decade, Larkin has been a member of the Senior Executive Service, serving in a number of top positions at the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense, as well as in the supervisory ranks of the Secret Service, including as Deputy Assistant Director and Chief Technology Officer in the Service’s Office of Protective Research. Larkin, who has also held senior positions with Lockheed Martin and the Raytheon Co., received a BA degree in criminal justice from Villanova University in 1982 and a master’s degree in public administration in 1986 also from Villanova.

On 9/11, Larkin was a supervisor in the New York Field Office of the US Secret Service located in the New York World Trade Center.  He survived the collapse of both towers while rescuing injured victims and was awarded the Medal of Valor.  He spent the following three months at Ground Zero involved in recovery operations before being transferred back to the White House to lead post 9/11 security operations. Since 9/11, Larkin has been intensely focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in support of our national security.
 
“It is my distinct honor to serve the Majority Leader, the US Senate and our nation as the 40th US Senate Sergeant at Arms.  I accept the responsibility to ensure a safe and secure environment for this 114th Congress to conduct the critical business of this great nation.”
 
The largest in size of staff and budget in the Senate, the office of the Sergeant at Arms is also responsible for all Senate computers and technology support services, recording and photographic services, printing and graphics services and telecommunications services. The Sergeant at Arms also provides assistance to all Senate offices with their staffing, mailing, purchasing and financial needs.

Morhard, managing partner of a law firm that advises major corporations on government affairs strategies, has held senior positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee, including Chief of Staff, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Naval Post Graduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security in Monterey, CA. Morhard received a BA degree in accounting from St. Francis University in 1978, an MBA from Georgetown Washington University Law Center in 1984 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993.

In August 2010, Morhard was aboard the plane that crashed in the mountains of Alaska killing former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-AK, and four others. The doctor who spent the night in the plane with the survivors later said she thought Morhard would perish that night. Before giving one of the eulogies at Stevens’s funeral, McConnell and his wife Elaine spent time with Morhard.  

“Jim represents the resilience we are all capable of in very challenging circumstances,” McConnell said. “The Senate is fortunate to have someone with Jim’s knowledge of the institution agree to return and take on this important role. “His expertise will help guide the efforts of the Sergeant at Arm’s office as we transition to the 114th Congress.”

Morhard said that, “It is my great honor to join the Senate team and work for the new Majority Leader.  He and Elaine were there for me at a very difficult time in my life and I intend to be there for him as he starts this new beginning.”