Calif. Gov. Brown Convenes California Governor's Military Council

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, in an effort to protect and expand the military’s vital role in national security and California’s economy, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has established the Governor’s Military Council and appointed former Congresswoman and Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher as chair.

“California plays a crucial role in our nation’s defense, and military bases and activities are vital to our state’s economy,” said Governor Brown. “As federal priorities shift to cyber security and new military technology, this Council will work to expand defense-industry jobs and investment in California.”

California is home to 29 federal military installations and the Department of Defense directly employs more than 236,000 people in California. The Governor’s Military Council will work to protect California’s military installations and operations amid ongoing Department of Defense budget cuts, and leverage changes in federal military strategy to position the state to continue innovation and leadership in its military mission.

“California’s military infrastructure is critically important to national security,” Tauscher said. “The Council will send a unified message to Washington, D.C., that highlights the value of our military bases.”

The council includes retired admirals and generals from the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as the Adjutant General of the California National Guard. The council’s bipartisan leadership from the state legislature, who were selected by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, includes Senators Steve Knight (R- Antelope Valley) and Richard Roth (D-Riverside) and Assemblymembers Rocky Chávez (R-Oceanside) and Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance). Business leaders with significant experience in the defense industry will also serve on the Council.

Leaders in business, military and government have praised the convening of the Governor’s Military Council.

“The Defense Department employs nearly 250,000 Californians and is an important segment of our economy, contributing billions of dollars in wages and supporting our construction, manufacturing and R&D sectors,” said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. “With federal budgets continuing to be cut—including many defense programs—it is my hope that the Governor’s Military Council will help protect jobs and investments and attract new missions associated with California’s military presence. I also believe that Ellen Tauscher is an excellent choice to chair this council, as she brings a wealth of experience at the State Department and as a member of the House of Representatives.”

“Southern California represents the heart of the nation’s defense-related industries,” said Bill Allen, president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. “The estimated economic contributions of the aerospace industry alone in Southern California are about $66 billion in output and an estimated $2.4 billion in state and local taxes. We applaud the Governor’s leadership in forming this Council to protect these high-value jobs in the years to come.”

“California is home to dozens of important military installations, including several major bases and facilities here in the San Diego region alone,” said Larry Blumberg, executive director of the San Diego Military Advisory Council. “Local communities across the state—from San Diego to small towns—will benefit from this state leadership as we seek to retain and grow our bases.”

The council will convene for one year and draft specific recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.

GOVERNOR’S MILITARY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Ellen O. Tauscher has been appointed chair of the Governor’s Military Council. Previously, she served by presidential appointment as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, and later as Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense at the U.S. State Department. Prior to that appointment, she represented California’s 10th Congressional District for more than 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she chaired the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. Before winning a seat in Congress, Tauscher spent 14 years working on Wall Street and was one of the first women to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Major General Alice Astafan, USAF (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Astafan serves on the board of directors for the Oak Ridge Association of Research Universities (ORAU) in Oak Ridge, TN. Before her retirement from the Air Force, Astafan was the highest-ranking female officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. Astafan was a member of the California Council on Military Base Support and Retention, chair of the California Veterans Board and a member of the Southwest Defense Alliance. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Major General David S. Baldwin has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Baldwin is the Adjutant General of California. Previously, he served as executive officer of the Combined Forces Command, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division Tactical Command Post and senior mentor to the commanding general of the 201st Afghan Army Corps during two deployments to Afghanistan. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Thomas R. Berard has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Berard served as executive director of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA and executive director and deputy to the commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range, NM. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Vice Admiral Jody A. Breckenridge, USCG (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Previously, she served as commander for the Coast Guard Pacific Area, director of the Coast Guard’s Strategic Transformation Team and commander of the 11th Coast Guard District, overseeing Coast Guard operations in the Southwest and Eastern Pacific Ocean. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Colonel Rocky Chávez, USMC (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Chávez is an Assemblymember representing the 76th District, which includes Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He serves as vice chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. Previously, he served as Under Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Philip E. Coyle has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Coyle is a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Previously, he served by presidential appointment to the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission as associate director for National Security and International Affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Barack Obama and assistant secretary of defense and director, Operational Test and Evaluation, at the Department of Defense. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Joseph Czyzyk has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Czyzyk serves as chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles-based Mercury Air Group. Previously, he served as chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Major General Anthony L. Jackson USMC, (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Jackson serves as the director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Previously, he served as the commanding general at Marine Corps Installations West, director of operations and logistics at U.S. Africa Command and deputy commanding general at U.S. Marine Forces Central Command. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Rear Admiral James Johnson, USN (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Johnson was president of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, director of TRICARE Regional Operations West, chief executive officer of Naval Medical Center, San Diego, and principal deputy for Clinical and Program Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Major General Dennis Kenneally, USA (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Kenneally is executive director of the Southwest Defense Alliance. He served as commanding general of the California Army National Guard, assistant Adjutant General for the California Military Department and director of the Office of Homeland Security. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Steve Knight has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Knight is a State Senator representing the 21st District, where he is chair of the Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace and vice chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Previously, he was an Assemblymember and served on the Palmdale City Council. Knight is a veteran of the U.S. Army. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Dr. Mary D. Lyons has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Lyons was president of the University of San Diego and the California Maritime Academy. She was an instructor at the Naval Training Center, and twice served as Commanding Officer of Naval Reserve units.This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Admiral Henry Mauz, USN (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Mauz served as commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, deputy chief of Naval Operations and Commander of the Seventh Fleet in the Far East, Naval Forces Central Command during Operation Desert Shield. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Rear Admiral Benjamin Montoya, USN (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Previously, he served by presidential appointment on the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission as chief of the Navy Civil Engineer Corps and commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Al Muratsuchi has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Muratsuchi is an Assemblymember representing the 66th District, where he is chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Select Committee on Aerospace. Previously, he served as a prosecutor and deputy attorney general at the California Attorney General’s Office, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Santa Ana City Attorney’s Office. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Major General Richard Roth, USAF (retired)has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Roth is a State Senator representing the 31st District, which includes March Air Reserve Base. Previously, he served as mobilization assistant to the judge advocate general of the U.S. Air Force, overseeing more than 900 Air Force Reserve judge advocates and paralegal personnel assigned to more than 200 offices at every level of command. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

Lieutenant General Eugene L.Tattini USAF (retired) has been appointed to the Governor’s Military Council. Tattini serves as the deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Previously, he served as commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.