| Carlos F. Matus | |
| Office: | Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) |
| President: | Joe Biden |
| Birth Name: | Carlos F. Matus |
| Birth Place: | Oceanside, California, U.S. |
| Profession: | Special agent |
| Education: | Inter-American Defense College, University of Maryland. |
| Term Start: | September 13, 2021 |
| Awards: | Regional Security Officer (RO) of the Year for D Company |
Carlos Matus (born 1970) is an American diplomat at the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) who serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and director of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) administered by United States Department of State.[1] The DS is a law enforcement security arm of the State Department which leads security and law enforcement focusing on safeguard national security interests. Matus has served over 37 years as a career member in the Senior Foreign Service (SFS.) From 2004 to 2017, Carlos Matus was appointed as a Regional Security Officer (RSO) at the United States Embassy of Kabul, Afghanistan. During 2018 to 2019, Carlos Matus served for the High Threat Program Directorate while he worked as a Regional Director for High Threat Programs as the Deputy Regional Director for Contingency Operations focusing on Afghanistan, while Matus worked as the Officer Director of Protective Intelligence Investigations.[2] From 2019 to 2020, Carlos Matus served as the Deputy Assist Secretary for Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate. Matus currently serves at Diplomatic Security Affairs Office for Criminal Investigations at Office of Public Affairs for Department of Justice and DSS.[3] [4]
Carlos Matus received a master's degree in National Defense from Inter-American Defense College and a master's in security at the University of Maryland. Matus then continued his education to receive his third major from Buenos Aires where he graduated from University of Salvador.[1]
Matus began his career at the Washington Field Office for DS where he was assigned to defending the U.S. Embassies located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and La Paz, Bolivia until 1993.[5] In 1995, Matus returned to Washington D.C. to conduct criminal investigations for Passport Fraud until 1997. Matus' first assignment by State Department as Shift Leader for United States Secretary of State for Madeleine K. Albright as her personal protection detail (or protective service detachment) at the Miami Field Office.
In 2018, Carlos Matus received two awards by the U.S. Marine Corps as Range Safety Officer (RSO) of the year for D Company. Matus complete the United States Commandant of the United States Marines Corps (USCMC) Range Safety Course, Quantico Officer in Charge (OIC) or Range Safety Officer (RSO) course, Range Facility Management Support System (RFMSS) and appointed by Commandant Officer (CO). As the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (CMC), highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and a four-star general position as a member of the Joint Chief of Staff. Matus participated in numerous projects such as ensuring organization, policy, plans, and programs for Marine Corps as well as advising Secretary of Defense, National Security Council for United States Homeland Security Advisory, Office of Inspector General at United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Secretary of Navy counterterrorism, counterintelligence and counterinsurgency operations.
Matus was selected during the FY2023 Presidential Rank Rewards (PRA) and nominated as one of the 64 Senior Foreign Service members by the State Department and President of the United States. Matus was acknowledged for his efforts to contributions within field of foreign affairs, public diplomacy and international development. Carlos Matus Senior Foreign Service (SFS) awards from Joe Biden and Antony Blinken during December 2023.