The Truth:
A local
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) public affairs representative
in Los Angeles told TruthorFiction.com that elected government officials
go through a security screening process but could not go into details as
to the level of investigation or the security level given to any one
official in particular.
We have asked both the FBI and the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) for further information on the level of security
for governors.
The Los Angeles Times on September 6,
2008 reported that
Governor Sarah Palin oversees military units whose duties include
serving overseas as well as search-and-rescue (SAR) missions at Ft.
Greely.
The LA Times article went on to say
that the Alaska Air National Guard is 1,946 service member strong and has participated in several
search-and-rescue missions. Since Palin's election in 2006 the Air Guard has flown 521 missions, saving 200 lives and
assisting with the rescue of 77 more people. The foreign deployments of units and
the operation of missile interceptors are not the responsibility of
state governors. That comes down from the regular U.S. military
chain of command.
Ft. Greely is located about 100 miles
South East of Fairbanks, Alaska. In 1995 the base was slated for
realignment by 2001 in but still remains open as a facility for
Alaska National Guard, COLD REGIONS TEST CENTER (CRTC), Missle Defense
Agency (MDA) and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC).
The Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF) is a
military police organization that was primarily created as a back up for
the National Guard. According to their web site they work with
primarily "State and local emergency management agencies in
Homeland Security, disaster assistance, planning, exercises, and
operations in response and recovery for both natural and man-made
disasters."
The mission
statement on their website states, "The Mission of the 49th Military
Police Brigade is to maintain an organized and trained military force,
capable of timely and effective response to State emergencies, or on
occasions deemed appropriate by the Governor, to provide military
assistance to civil and military authorities for Homeland Security and
in the preservation of life, property, and public safety."
Governor Palin would only call upon
them in case of an emergency.
Click
here for the A.S.D.F. web site.
It is not uncommon, in
the event of an emergency, for a state governor to use military resources like the
National Guard. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently
had to use the California National Guard to help battle wild fires. Earlier
this year, the US Coast Guard in San Pedro, CA and the US Marines at
Camp Pendleton assisted local agencies in the transport of volunteers,
firefighters and equipment to Avalon when the Island of Catalina was
threatened by fires. After the devastation from Hurricane Katrina
in 2005 the US Coast Guard and the National Guard worked with local
agencies in rescuing stranded residents from flooded areas.
updated 09/08/08
