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== Composition ==
== Composition ==
According to the executive order that created the Council, it consists of 10 governors, no more than 5 of whom may belong to the same political party. All ten members are appointed by the President, and two are designated by him as Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs may not belong to the same political party. There is also an Executive Director appointed by the [[Secretary of Defense]].
According to the executive order that created the Council, it consists of 10 governors<ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-signs-executive-order-establishing-council-governors</ref>, no more than 5 of whom may belong to the same political party. All ten members are appointed by the President, and two are designated by him as Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs may not belong to the same political party. There is also an Executive Director appointed by the [[Secretary of Defense]].


===Council members 2011-2012===
===Council members 2011-2012===

Revision as of 04:24, 10 April 2012

The Council of Governors is a group of 10 state governors of the United States. The group was established in January 2010 in order to strengthen the partnership between federal and state governments in protecting the nation against all manner of threats, including terrorism and natural disasters. The Council was created by Executive Order 13528, signed by President Barack Obama on January 11, 2010, as recommended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 which was passed by the 110th Congress and signed by President George W. Bush on January 28, 2008.

Composition

According to the executive order that created the Council, it consists of 10 governors[1], no more than 5 of whom may belong to the same political party. All ten members are appointed by the President, and two are designated by him as Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs may not belong to the same political party. There is also an Executive Director appointed by the Secretary of Defense.

Council members 2011-2012

Role Name State Party FEMA Region
Executive Director --- --- --- ---
Co-Chair Terry Branstad Iowa Republican Region VII
Co-Chair Chris Gregoire Washington Democrat Region X
Member Luis Fortuño Puerto Rico NPP/Republican Region II
Member Robert McDonnell Virginia Republican Region III
Member Martin O'Malley Maryland Democrat Region III
Member Beverly Perdue North Carolina Democrat Region IV
Member Brad Henry Oklahoma Democrat Region VI
Member Neil Abercrombie Hawaii Democrat Region IX
Member Jay Nixon Missouri Democrat Region VII
Member Matt Mead Wyoming Republican Region VIII
Member Janice Brewer Arizona Republican Region IX
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Federal --- ---
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Federal --- ---
Asst to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John O. Brennan Federal --- ---
Asst to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett Federal --- ---
Asst Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs Paul N. Stockton Federal --- ---
USNORTHCOM Commander Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. Federal --- ---
Commandant US Coast Guard Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. Federal --- ---
Chief National Guard Bureau Craig R. McKinley Federal --- ---

Meetings

Meetings of the Council are called by the Secretary of Defense, or the Co-Chairs. To date, three meetings of the Council have been held. The inaugural meeting was held on February 23, 2010, in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon.

A second meeting was held July 11, 2010 in Boston, MA.

A third meeting was scheduled for November 2010.

Obscurity and Lack of Clarity

There are relatively few links and references to this powerful organization. Taking into consideration that the function of this body is to serve as 10 principle sub-leaders of the nation, in event of declared national emergency; it is quite exceptional that the full publicity and documentation of their existence and purpose is not more-widely known of. In theory, they would act as a 'middle-step' between the Secretary of Defense and Homeland Security, and their fellow governors not present on the Council, by leading each FEMA region. In application, the methods by which this are to be done are not fully understood or public, as not each region is represented by the governors on the Council (e.g.: Region I has no seated member on the Council of Governors, as of January 1, 2012 - which causes one to ask, who will lead Region I in event of a disaster? etc.). Ironically, even with such power, they are not accorded positions within the Constitutional 'Power of Succession' to the position of the President of the United States.

In addition to these issues, the position of 'Executive Director' of the Council of Governors is to be placed by the Secretary of Defense, yet to date, there has been no known public release stating who has been assigned this position.

The authority creating the Council of Governors was Executive Order (EO) 13528, signed by President Barack Obama January 11, 2010.

References

  1. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-signs-executive-order-establishing-council-governors
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