Obama's secret service code name is 'Renegade'

London, Nov 14 : President-elect Barack Obama has been given his secret service code name - Renegade.

Obama had a say in choosing the rebellious name used by his elite protection team. He was given the choice of several names starting with the letter R, The Sun reported.

And in keeping with the tradition of having all family members' code names start with the same letter, future first lady Michelle Obama is Renaissance, and daughters Sasha and Malia are known as Rosebud and Radiance, respectively.

As for outgoing President George W Bush and his wife, Laura, whatever else their new lives hold for them, they can take their alternate identities as Trailblazer and Tempo with them, the paper said.

They are still entitled to secret service protection.

Created in 1865 to track down counterfeiters, the secret service was assigned the job of protecting the president in 1913 but remained in the Treasury Department.

It now protects not only the president and vice president but selected other officials and visiting dignitaries.

Lists of possible code names for those who receive secret service protection are drawn up by the White House Communications Agency, a branch of the military that serves the White House and secret service.

It looks for words that are easily pronounced and easily understood in radio transmissions.

Secret service spokesman Eric Zahren said: "There's nothing Top Secret about them. It has no operational security significance anymore because of encrypted communication capabilities."

ANI