Golden Guardian is primarily a table-top exercise of the "professionals"--emergency services, police, fire, utilities, etc.
OK, for all you black helicopter folks--interesting, so California's Golden Guardian event dovetails with the US Northern Command and NORAD's Vigilant Shield '09 exercise.
From the official
press release :
"Concurrent exercises include U.S. Strategic Command GLOBAL LIGHTNING 09 and BULWARK DEFENDER 09; Canada Command DETERMINED DRAGON; California National Guard VIGILANT GUARD; and the State of California GOLDEN GUARDIAN."
A lot of big boys playing the board game Risk this week, I guess.