The Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council (GHSAC) met August 26-27, 2026, in Arlington, VA. The GHSAC regularly brings together Governors’ homeland security advisors from states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia. The mission of the GHSAC is to inform and shape national homeland security policy; keep Governors abreast of the current threat environment and the impacts of federal homeland security legislation, regulations, and policies; and promote best practices related to homeland security activities. The meeting serves to advance Governors’ homeland security priorities, share best practices and improve the nation’s overall homeland security enterprise.
The meeting included representatives from 40 states, territories and the District of Columbia. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger welcomed participants to Virginia and shared ways her administration has advanced homeland security within the state through a Unified Readiness Framework. The GHSAC also met with Congressman Matt Van Epps, Drug Enforcement Administrator Terrence Cole, and Acting Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administrator Nick Andersen, among other key federal leaders.
The meeting provided an opportunity for GHSAC members to share and collaborate on approaches to prevent and mitigate a variety of physical and cyber threats. This includes:
- Fostering discussions with members of the National Security Council, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of War’s Joint Interagency Task Force-401 in continued partnership on state and territory Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System programs to protect against malicious threats and ensure secure airspace for legitimate air traffic.
- Sharing lessons learned and best practices following the 2026 FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary events to advance continued efforts to ensure the safety of special events across the cyber and physical domains.
- Engaging with several leading AI companies, the Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, and state officials on the security and protection of critical infrastructure, including the potential impact of frontier AI models on cybersecurity.
- Highlighting the ongoing importance of information sharing, including the important role that fusion centers and DHS Intelligence and Analysis field staff play in those processes.
The meeting also incorporated joint programming with Governor’s Cybersecurity Advisors that included discussions on the positive impact the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant program has had in building out state and local cybersecurity capabilities, cross-sector approaches for addressing cybersecurity threats from both prevention and consequence management perspectives, as well as how states are approaching the introduction of AI into state systems from a policy and governance perspective.
