General Steven S. Nordhaus
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
National Guard Bureau
111 S. George Mason Dr. Arlington, VA 22204
Dear Gen. Nordhaus:
Congratulations on your appointment and confirmation as Chief of the National Guard Bureau. We look forward to working with you and your staff to strengthen our National Guard.
On behalf of the Council of Governors, we write today to submit the Council’s recommendations for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prioritize in their budget development processes.
In accordance with the Council of Governors Consultative Budget Agreement, the Council engages with the Department of Defense as representatives of the states, territories and District of Columbia to exchange views, information, and provide advice on programming and budgetary priorities and requirements as it relates to matters pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense, civil support activity, and synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to these efforts.
These priorities are being submitted to you as the coordination point outlined in Phase I of the agreement. Since the Department of Homeland Security is also identified in these priorities, our staff will share this document with members of the secretary’s office for visibility.
The last year has seen significant national disasters impact the United States, frequently intensifying rapidly and resulting in concurrent response and recovery periods. Additionally, cyberattacks, including those by foreign nation-state affiliated actors, have continued to impact American critical infrastructure and services. Given this landscape, as well as the ongoing conflicts overseas, federal-state cooperation is vital to homeland defense and civil support that protect and mitigate against threats. In support of these efforts, the Council has identified the attached priorities for the FY26-28 budget process. Please let us know if you have any questions.
The Council looks forward to continuing to collaborate with our federal partners on these issues.
Sincerely,
Governor Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, Co-Chair
Governor Philip B. Scott, Governor of Vermont, Co-Chair
Cc:
- Ms. Rebecca Zimmerman, Executive Director, Council of Governors
- The Honorable Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
- The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security
- The Honorable Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- The Honorable Jen Easterly, Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Mr. Tom Perez, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
