About 600 community and military leaders joined ADC at regional forums in recent weeks.

Last week’s North Carolina Defense Summit in Raleigh featured Lt. Gen. Walter Gaskin, secretary of the state’s Department of Military & Veterans Affairs. The event also included a job fair.

“It’s just appropriate that we have our own summit to share our best practices and to improve quality of life for our service men and women and their families,” Rodney Anderson, a member of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Commission, told CBS 17.

The California Defense Summit in Sacramento was hosted by ADC, the California Defense Communities Alliance and the California Governor’s Military Council. Speakers included California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, Acting Adjutant General of the California Military Department Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers and Patrick O’Brien, the director of the DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

The Florida Defense Forum took place in Fort Walton Beach Sept. 22 and 23, hosted by ADC and Enterprise Florida. Speakers included emergency management officials and the state’s chief resiliency officer.

“There are many military and community issues that are specific to a state or a region, including challenges and successes,” said ADC Executive Director Matt Borron. “It’s great to see all the stakeholders join together to talk about what is happening in their state and how national policies apply to their communities.”

North Carolina Military Affairs Commission photo by Tony Wooten of LRP Media