Joe with Council members and USAF staff at Edwards AFB, in front of an Air Force Drone.

Joe Czyzyk’s commitment to our military extends beyond his board position with U.S. VETS. He is also a member of the California Governor’s Military Council; serving on that Council since it was founded in 2013, to help position California to maintain and grow military operations in the state.

The Council’s purpose is to ensure that our state’s military infrastructure of more than 30 federal military installations remains intact with no future base closures by the federal government.  California is the state with the largest number of military installations in the country and more than 236,000 people in the state are directly employed by the United States Department of Defense. Civilian employment in a surrounding community may be up to 25% related to the nearby base.

 "On behalf of California Governor Newsom, I serve on the Governor’s Military Council to support military, national security and aerospace operations in California", Joe said at a recent interview. "Our bipartisan group, comprised of retired flag officers, politicians and civic leaders, works to underscore the unique national security value of California installations and is developing recommendations to strengthen California’s support for military operations in our state. We also support public policy that keeps California a supportive environment for our military."

As part of the Council, Joe visits bases with other Council members to determine how the State of California can assist with schooling, medical facilities, housing, and other services for the base inhabitants. Joe specifically is assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore and Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. Joe meets regularly with the commanding officers to discuss how the Council can assist them and their personnel through the California Governor’s office with the Department of Defense on any number of important issues.