(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has been appointed by President Donald Trump to serve a two-year term on the Council of Governors, a bipartisan group of ten governors who are responsible for providing coordination between the states and the federal government on emerging threats and emergency response, synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States, and matters of mutual interest pertaining to the National Guard.
“As governor of Connecticut and commander-in-chief of the Connecticut National Guard, I have a solemn responsibility to ensure that the men and women who work every day to keep us safe have the support and resources they need from their elected leaders,” Governor Lamont said. “This appointment comes with great responsibility, and I look forward to working with my fellow governors and the president to address these critical issues.”
In addition to the ten council members, charter federal participants include the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, presidential homeland security and counterterrorism advisors, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, the commandant of the Coast Guard, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau.
The nine other governors who were appointed today to two-year terms include Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Governor David Ige of Hawaii, both of whom will serve as co-chairs; Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona; Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois; Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota; Governor Mike Parson of Missouri; Governor Steve Bullock of Montana; Governor Pete Ricketts of Nebraska; and Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio.
The council was established by Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 and implemented by President Barack Obama.