By George Bryson

When presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain introduced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, the Arizona senator emphasized her role as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard.

Later, when questions were raised about Palin's lack of experience in national or international affairs, the McCain campaign pointed again to her military command experience as governor. Some reporters have tried to follow up.

"Can you tell me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard?" CNN journalist Campbell Brown asked Monday while interviewing McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds. "Just one?"

"Any decision she has made as the commander of the (Alaska) National Guard that's deployed overseas is more of a decision than Barack Obama's been making as he's been running for president for the last two years," Bounds said.

But the governor has no command authority overseas - or anywhere in the United States other than Alaska, says Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the service commander of the Alaska National Guard.

"When members of the National Guard are federalized, they work for the president," Campbell said today. "It's not just overseas. They could be federalized to go to other states, or they could even be federalized in the state."

Occasions in which Palin does retain command authority over the 4,200-member Alaska National Guard are whenever the guard responds to in-state natural disasters and civic emergencies, said Campbell, who also serves as commissioner of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Some examples?

"We've deployed individuals in state service all over the state under Sarah Palin," he said. "We had defense men down in Seward for the (Mount) Marathon run doing security.

"Out west and northwest we had erosion problems and the National Guard was involved in some of the protection out there. About three days ago, the Army National Guard picked up a lady from Little Diomede ... at the request of state troopers."

Did Palin directly approve each of those activities?

No, Campbell said. The governor has granted him authority to act on his own in most cases, including life-or-death emergencies when a quick response is required, or minor day-to-day operations.

"Some authorities have been given to me that she has acknowledged that I can execute," he said. "For others I have to ask her each time."

The recent decision to deploy a C-17 cargo plane from the Alaska Air National Guard to Louisiana to assist during the Hurricane Gustav response was an occasion in which he briefed the governor's office and sought its approval, Campbell said. But in that case, Chief of Staff Mike Nizich signed off on it.

The flooding that occurred in Fairbanks in late July - in which the guard sent water trucks north to provide clean drinking water - didn't require the governor's approval, Campbell said.

Natural disasters are fairly sporadic, says Jeremy Zidek, public information officer for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which is part of Campbell's department.

Last year, during Palin's first year as governor, there wasn't much action, Zidek said.

"Thankfully we didn't have any major disasters."

In 2006, however - during former Gov. Frank Murkowski's last year in office - the Guard assisted during a fire at a schoolhouse and church in Hooper Bay.

The Alaska National Guard receives about 75 percent of its funding from the federal government, Campbell said. All of the federal funding is pre-allocated by Congress.

The state maintains Army National Guard bases in 76 locations in Alaska and Air National Guard bases in three locations.