SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been appointed to the Council of Governors to advise the federal government on national security, disaster relief and the National Guard.

Pritzker’s office announced Monday that the Democrat was chosen for the 10-member bipartisan group after a weekend meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C.

The council was established in 2008. It coordinates state and federal action and advises the federal government on compensation and benefits for National Guard members.

Pritzker says Illinois plays an important role in national security because it is the Midwest’s largest state and has a strong National Guard.

Pritzker met with newly appointed security aides Adjutant General Richard Neely and Alicia Tate-Nadeau. Tate-Nadeau is director of homeland security and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.