Today Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Jocelyn Mallette visited Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where he joined the North Carolina Commanders Council (NCCC) meeting and toured the installation. During the visit, he heard from the commanders of North Carolina’s military installations and shared his commitment to supporting service members, military families, and veterans.
"North Carolina’s military installations are critical to our national security and state economy, with more than 130,000 military and civilian Department of Defense personnel across North Carolina,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I was pleased to listen to and learn from the Commanders Council about how the state can best support our service members and their families through the challenges they face while on duty.”
“Supporting military families is not just an act of gratitude—it is a commitment to the strength, resilience, and future of our state,” said Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette. “North Carolina has the fourth largest active-duty population of any state, and when the leaders of our state and the commanders of our military installations stand together, military families win.”
“I’m grateful for Governor Stein’s visit to Camp Lejeune and his engagement with the North Carolina Commanders Council,” said Brigadier General Ralph Rizzo. “His commitment to military families, veterans, and the communities that support our installations helps ensure they remain resilient power projection platforms that are capable of projecting combat power at the time and place of our Nation’s choosing. By strengthening partnerships and building awareness of the challenges facing our bases, our collaborative efforts will directly enhance the readiness of our Marines and Sailors.”
The NCCC is a forum where military base leaders across North Carolina come together to discuss issues and priorities of service members and their families stationed in North Carolina.
Governor Stein is steadfastly committed to making North Carolina an even more welcoming state to service members and their families. This month, North Carolina became a Do Your Part State, joining a joint initiative between Blue Star Families and the National Governors Association to help states implement policies and programs that support military families.
This year, Governor Stein has signed into law four bills that support service members and their families, including helping military spouses transfer their professional licenses from out of state, making it easier to remotely renew drivers’ licenses, aiding parents enrolling their kids in public school, and helping military students afford tuition in the University of North Carolina System.