RI Adjutant General Speaks at Luncheon
November 12, 2009
LUNCH with MG Bray
The Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDIA) and the Newport Chapter of the National Contract Management Association Hosted Major General Robert Bray the Rhode Island Adjutant General at a luncheon held at the Newport Officers Club on Thursday November 12, 2009. Over 60 people attended the luncheon.
Major General Bray's remarks included an overview of the roles and missions of the RI National Guard in State, Regional-Domestic and Overseas operations, He emphasized the importance of the National Guard to RI's economy by bringing in Federal dollars in Military Construction Projects and providing for a large number of full time RI jobs.
He recalled some of his trips to Iraq and Afghanistan and the differences in the operations in both countries. He noted the progress made in Iraq as local governments were reconstituted and contrasted it to the lack of any previous stable form of government in Afghanistan to take control of local regions once they were stabilized by U.S. troops. 
Commanding General
The Adjutant General
MG Robert Bray
The Adjutant General Roles and Responsibilities
GENERAL:
The Adjutant General of the state of Rhode Island is appointed by the Governor and serves at the will of the Governor. The Adjutant General assumes three distinct roles: The Adjutant General of the state of Rhode Island, The Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard, and the Director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL:
The Adjutant General is a member of the State Cabinet who is responsible for providing the overall leadership and tactical coordination for security preparedness and emergency response systems in the state. He is the strategic leader and Chief Executive Officer to the Governor for the agencies assigned and as the representative for the State to the lead Federal coordinating agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Guard Bureau, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, and the United States Coast Guard.
Additionally, he is responsible as the lead coordinating agency within the scope of emergency preparedness for collaboration with the first response agencies and municipalities within the state, including law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services and the military. He is responsible to support those agencies to ensure they are well equipped, trained, and prepared.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE RHODE ISLAND NATIONAL GUARD:
The Adjutant General is the strategic leader of the State military forces. The Adjutant General directs the establishment, operation, organization, and maintenance of the military forces of the state, which are comprised of the Rhode Island Army and Air National Guard, and the State Historic Militia. The Adjutant General’s primary responsibility is to ensure that Soldiers and Airmen are well equipped, well trained, and well lead such that they can perform their federal and state military duties.
The Adjutant General is responsible for mission readiness and training of Army and Air National Guard forces to conduct and perform their respective Federal missions, which includes war fighting and support to local agencies for domestic emergencies.
Major responsibilities of the Adjutant General, in his capacity as the Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard, include: Mobilization, Force Structure, Equipment Modernization, Training Management, Facility Management, Military Construction, Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer Career Management, Personnel Administration, Family Assistance Programs, Special Programs, Military Property and Army/Air National Guard Operations.
The Adjutant General maintains close association and communication with the National Guard Bureau, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, Northern Command, Air Mobility Command, First Army, Fifth Army, First Air Force, Third Air Force, Cyber Command, and Transportation Command. Associations and memberships may include all veteran’s organizations, as well as professional military organizations. Most notably he maintains active participation in the Adjutant General Association of the United States through the National Guard Association of the United States.
Additional programs under the responsibility of the Adjutant General include, but are not limited to:
• Counter Drug Program
• Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
• Operation GUARDian
• State Partnership Program
• Education Assistance
• Multi-Cultural Committee
• Military Funeral Honor’s
• Venturing Program
• Veterans Assistance
• Parades/Ceremonial Events
• Counter Drug Adventure Camps
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE RHODE ISLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
The Adjutant General oversees the Governor's plan for Homeland Security through the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) by planning and implementing all state preparedness programs. Primary areas of responsibility include grant funding for state and local disbursement, state wide interoperability, intelligence fusion center, and plans and response teams.
RIEMA is responsible for analyzing and formulating tactical state response plans to maximize the effectiveness of security systems to respond to both natural and terrorism-based state emergencies.
Additionally, the Adjutant General is the primary representative of the State for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Other agencies and organizations to which the Adjutant General is the primary representative are: the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the Governor’s Association Homeland Security Committee, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC).