The General Assembly established the Virginia Military Advisory Council (VMAC) as an advisory council to maintain a cooperative and constructive relationship between the Commonwealth and the leadership of the Armed Forces of the United States and the military commanders of such Armed Forces stationed in the Commonwealth, encourage regular communication on continued military facility viability, and encourage the exploration of privatization opportunities and issues affecting preparedness, public safety, and security.

Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, Craig Crenshaw, served as the VMAC chair. The remainder of the council was composed of 10 members as follows: the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Adjutant General, a member from the Senate, member from the House of Delegates, and five Gubernatorial citizen appointments. Over 30 representatives of the major military commands and installations located in the Commonwealth complemented the appointed council.

Under the Secretary’s leadership, the VMAC focused on information and discussion in the development of actionable initiatives to advance Virginia’s prosperity through investment in competitive military value. The VMAC addressed military installation and defense community issues of compatibility, resilience, and quality of life improvements to ensure best competitiveness for future military investments. Compatibility centered on ensuring that shared space, relationships, and advocacy to meet military needs for modern mission sustainment and growth. Resilience focused mutual energy, climate, and security challenges for shared solutions. Quality of life addressed childcare, spouse employment, education, housing, health care, and safe communities for our military members and defense communities.