The Governor shall appoint the military staff that shall consist of the Adjutant General, who shall be chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant general; the assistant adjutant generals, one of whom shall serve as deputy chief of staff as provided under subsection (c) of § 27-24; the chief of staff for the Connecticut Air National Guard; an air aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel, who shall be the senior aviation officer of the Connecticut National Guard; a Surgeon General, who shall be the senior medical officer of the National Guard; one aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel from the United States Air Force Reserve; one aide-de-camp with the rank of captain from the United States Naval Reserve; one aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel from the United States Marine Corps Reserve; one aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel from the United States Army Reserve; one aide-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant commander from the United States Coast Guard Reserve; five aides-de-camp, two with the rank of colonel, two with the rank of lieutenant colonel and one with the rank of major, all of whom shall be from the National Guard; and two enlisted aides-de-camp with the rank of sergeant major from the National Guard. Members appointed from the armed forces of the state shall retain their federal or state grades and shall remain subject to duty therein and, if appointed to such staff in a rank lower than the highest grade attained in federal or state service, shall serve on the staff in their highest recognized grade. Any requirement of this section that any member of the Governor’s military staff shall be a member of, or hold any rank in, the National Guard shall be inapplicable whenever the National Guard is in active service with the Army, Navy or Air Force of the United States and at such time the military staff of the Governor may be appointed by the Governor from the organized or unorganized militia, ex-members of the United States Army or Navy or the Connecticut National Guard, or from civil life; and in addition to the active military staff the Governor may, at said Governor’s discretion, appoint honorary staff members from the former National Guard or naval militia then on active military duty. The Governor, at any other time, may appoint honorary staff members to the Connecticut National Guard without regard to affiliation who shall serve without the pay, honors, privileges and benefits afforded the active staff members, including, but not limited to, allowances and tuition waivers. The majors commandant of the first and second companies Governor’s Foot Guards and the Governor’s Horse Guards shall be ex-officio members of the Governor’s military staff. The Governor shall also appoint the immediate predecessors of such majors commandant to serve as additional ex-officio members. In addition to the above-named officers, the Governor shall appoint three additional staff members, one of whom shall be a colonel or of equivalent naval rank and two of whom shall be majors or of equivalent naval rank.