In Recognition of the Career of Ncis Director Mark D. Clookie

by Representative Susan A. Davis

Posted on 2013-02-26

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DAVIS of california in the house of representatives Tuesday, February 26, 2013 Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Special Agent Mark D. Clookie, Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS, who has announced his retirement from NCIS effective March I, 2013, after nearly 31 years of highly distinguished service.

Mr. Clookie joined NCIS in 1982, and during his tenure he has served in a variety of organizational assignments and mission areas, both within the United States and overseas. As a Special Agent, Mr. Clookie served overseas in both the Kingdom of Bahrain and in Japan. Domestically he held leadership positions in Newport, RI, and at NCIS headquarters in Washington, DC. He also served in leadership positions in several overseas tours as NCIS Resident Agent in Charge in Bahrain, as NCIS Resident Agent in Charge in Okinawa, Japan, and as Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Middle East Field Office, located in Manama, Bahrain.

In August 2001, Special Agent Clookie reported to the Pentagon as the Chief, Joint Staff Support Branch, Joint Counterintelligence Center. Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, he assumed duties as the Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Middle East Field Office in Manama, Bahrain. From there he directed all counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal investigative operations throughout the Middle East, East Africa, and Southwest Asia. His primary focus was direct support to Navy and Marine Corps Forces Central Command and the Navy's Fifth Fleet.

After more than two years in the Middle East directing the NCIS Global War on Terrorism mission, SA Clookie returned to NCIS Headquarters, where he served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for Management and Human Resources. In this role, he led NCIS modernization initiatives and subsequently, was promoted to Assistant Director for Human Resources.

As Assistant Director for Human Resources, Mr. Clookie oversaw the creation and implementation of a leadership development program to identify and train future NCIS leaders.

In October 2007, Mr. Clookie was promoted to the Senior Executive Service and assumed responsibilities as the Executive Assistant Director for Middle East and Pacific Operations where he built systems that have integrated the work of 44 offices across the Western U.S., Asia, Pacific, and Middle East.

In April 2009, SA Clookie was reassigned as the Executive Assistant Director for Combating Terrorism. In this capacity, he developed and managed programs to protect U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel, families, and property from global terrorist threats. He also significantly expanded NCIS engagement with foreign government counterparts.

On February 14, 2010, Mr. Clookie was appointed Director of NCIS and became the agency's fourth civilian director. From the onset, Mr. Clookie established capabilities and realigned resources to meet the evolving requirements of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, while at the same time, reducing overhead and creating efficiencies. During his tenure, 100 percent of NCIS' programs and field elements were evaluated annually for quality and effectiveness by the executives overseeing operations and by teams led by Headquarters-based senior NCIS leaders. He institutionalized a collaborative and disciplined method to identify efficiencies throughout the agency, facilitating the reprogramming of over $10 million across NCIS to meet emerging mission requirements.

During his time as Director, Mr. Clookie restructured the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to align the headquarters with the missions of man, train, and equip the workforce while transitioning operational oversight to field level supervisors, empowering lower level managers and resulting in quicker responses to changing priorities and threats.

Under Director Clookie's leadership, NCIS has filled every validated Combatant Commander request for forces for Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa on a volunteer basis. NCIS personnel have also deployed to Kuwait, Djibouti, Guantanamo Bay, and other sites in support of contingency operations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Clookie for his 31 years of [[Page E192]] outstanding public service and to wish him fair winds and following seas as he begins the next chapter of his life.

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