The bipartisan Council of Governors (COG) was established by Section 1822 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 and implemented by Presidential Executive Order 13528 in 2010. It includes 10 Governors who work with federal officials to address issues relating to the National Guard, national security, homeland defense, and disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
On February 19, 2025, the White House announced President Donald Trump’s appointment of the current members, with North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin serving as Co-Chairs. Council members include: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
The Council met today, in Washington, D.C., for its 30th Plenary Meeting. All 10 members of COG participated in the meeting, in person or virtually. The meeting began with opening remarks from Co-Chairs Governors Stein and Youngkin. The Co-Chairs then welcomed opening remarks from Rear Admiral Jeffrey Novak; Rafael Leonardo, who is currently performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs; and Alex Meyer, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
During the meeting, Governors focused on strategic budget trends, processes for streamlining communication and consultation between the Council of Governors and the Department of Defense, National Guard priorities, and disaster response coordination between states and the federal government. Governors also focused on the priorities of COG’s working groups: cybersecurity, military matters and workforce.
Other meeting speakers included:
- General Steven S. Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau
- Bryn MacDonnell, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer
- Bridget Bean, Performing the Duties of CISA Director
- Darin Selnick, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
- Robert Salesses, Deputy Director of Washington Headquarters Services in the U.S. Department of Defense
