The Secret Service took more than a year to replace a broken alarm system at the home of George H.W . Bush , it has emerged . The alarm failed at the former president 's Houston residence in September 2013 and even though the Secret Service bought a replacement system in January 2014 , it took until December for it to be installed - leaving the couple without the protection of a working alarm at their home for 15 months . It came despite an agent 's recommendation in 2010 that the alarm , which was installed in 1993 , be replaced because it 'had exceeded its life cycle ' . The request was denied for an unknown reason . The oversight - just the latest in a string of blunders by the agency - was revealed in a report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General , which was released on Thursday . Concerns : Former First Lady Barbara Bush and former President George H.W . Bush , pictured watching basketball in March , did not have a working alarm at their Houston home for more than a year . During the time the alarm was out of service , the Secret Service assigned an employee to keep watch over the residence , according to the report , CBS News reported . Some inside the agency contended that the agent was not sufficient to replace the alarm system , the Washington Post reported . Despite the apparently relaxed security measures , there were no breaches at the property , where 90-year-old Bush and his wife Barbara have lived for more than two decades . On Twitter on Thursday , Bush said that he and his wife have 'great respect for , and confidence in , the men and women ' of the Secret Service . 'That respect and confidence has never waned , ' he wrote . Endorsement : In light of the reports , Bush tweeted that he had 'great respect ' for the Secret Service . Property : Their Houston home , circle , was guarded by a Secret Service agent throughout the 15 months . The report also raises concerns about the security at other former presidents ' homes , but has redacted their names . Among the concerns , one official reported that safety equipment showed 'signs of impending failure ' . In January , the Washington Post reported that the alarm system at Vice President Joe Biden 's home was failing so agents had simply switched the system off . They were told that budget constraints meant the repairs would have to wait . The new report , which was addressed to Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy , recommended that the agency reviews all security equipment and looks into how it keeps track of maintenance issues . 'With these fixes in place , we believe the Secret Service will more effectively meet its mission to protect the lives and homes of our former presidents , ' Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth , who wrote the report , said in a statement . Blunders : A member of the Secret Service patrols outside the White House last September after a man managed to scale the fence , run across the lawn and enter the property without being stopped . Embarrassment : Last week , a man landed a gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol lawn in the latest embarrassment for security teams in Washington D.C. Pictured , a member of a bomb squad checks out the aircraft . Clancy agreed with the recommendations and said that the Secret Service had launched a review before the investigations . The report 's findings are just the latest embarrassment for the Secret Service , which has seen its reputation tarnished by a string of missteps in recent months . Last year , Iraq war veteran Omar Gonzalez scaled the fence of the White House and managed to enter the residence - running right past agents , who also failed to release a dog in time . Earlier this year , two agents drove through an active bomb investigation , and last week , a protester flying a gyrocopter managed to land on the lawn on the U.S. Capitol in D.C .
The alarm system at the former president 's Houston property failed around September 2013 but was not replaced until December 2014 . It came after an agent recommended in 2010 that the 20-year system be replaced but the request was denied . The details emerged in a report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released on Thursday . A spokesman for President Barack Obama said he had no knowledge about the incident and could not comment further.