# General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force

The General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force (acronym SAF/GC) is the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of the Air Force.
By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States upon the advice and consent of the United States Senate, and performs such duties as the Secretary of the Air Force specifies.
According to Secretary of the Air Force Order No. 111.5, dated July 14, 2005, "The General Counsel is the chief legal officer and chief ethics official of the Department of the Air Force. Legal opinions issued by the Office of the General Counsel shall be the controlling opinions of the Department of the Air Force. The General Counsel provides advice in accordance with applicable statues on any legal subject and on other matters as directed by the Secretary." In other words, the General Counsel of the Air Force advises the Secretary of the Air Force, the Under Secretary of the Air Force, and the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, as well as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and other military leaders of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force on legal matters, other than those statutory duties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice performed by the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force.

## List of General Counsels of the Department of the Air Force (incomplete list)

| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
| Brackley Shaw | 1947 | 1949 | Harry S. Truman | W. Stuart Symington |
| William T. Thurman | 1950 | 1950 | Harry S. Truman | W. Stuart Symington, Thomas K. Finletter |
| James T. Hill Jr. | 1950 | 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Thomas K. Finletter |
| John Alvin Johnson | 1952 | 1958 | Dwight Eisenhower | Thomas K. Finletter, Harold E. Talbott, Donald A. Quarles, James H. Douglas Jr. |
| Max Golden | 1958 | 1962 | Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy | James H. Douglas Jr., Dudley C. Sharp, Eugene M. Zuckert |
| Gerritt W. Wesselink | 1964 | 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Eugene M. Zuckert |
| Stephen N. Shulman | 1965 | 1966 | Lyndon Johnson | Eugene M. Zuckert, Harold Brown |
| J. William Doolittle | 1966 | 1968 | Lyndon Johnson | Harold Brown |
| John M. Steadman | 1968 | 1970 | Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon | Harold Brown, Robert C. Seamans, Jr. |
| Jack L. Stempler | 1970 | 1977 | Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford | Robert C. Seamans, Jr., John L. McLucas, James W. Plummer, Thomas C. Reed, |
| Peter B. Hamilton | 1977 | 1978 | Jimmy Carter | John C. Stetson |
| Stuart R. Reichart | 1979 | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | John C. Stetson, Hans M. Mark, Verne Orr |
| David E. Place | 1981 | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | Verne Orr |
| Eugene R. Sullivan | 1984 | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | Verne Orr, Russell A. Rourke |
| Kathleen A. Buck | 1986 | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | Russell A. Rourke, Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. |
| Anne N. Foreman | 1987 | 1989 | Ronald Reagan | Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. |
| Ann C. Petersen | 1989 | 1993 | George H. W. Bush | Donald B. Rice |
| Gilbert F. Casellas | 1993 | 1994 | Bill Clinton | Sheila E. Widnall |
| Sheila C. Cheston | 1995 | 1998 | Bill Clinton | Sheila E. Widnall |
| Jeh Charles Johnson | 1998 | 2001 | Bill Clinton | F. Whitten Peters |
| Mary L. Walker | 2001 | 2008 | George W. Bush | James G. Roche, Michael Wynne |
| Charles A. Blanchard | 2009 | 2013 | Barack Obama | Michael B. Donley |
| Joseph M. McDade Jr. (acting) | 2013 | 2014 | Barack Obama | Deborah Lee James |
| Gordon O. Tanner | 2014 | 2017 | Barack Obama | Deborah Lee James |
| Joseph M. McDade Jr. (acting) | 2017 | 2018 | Donald Trump | Lisa Disbrow Heather Wilson |
| Thomas E. Ayres | 2018 | 2021 | Donald Trump | Heather Wilson Matthew Donovan (acting) Barbara Barrett |
| Craig A. Smith (acting) | 2021 | 2022 | Joe Biden | John P. Roth (acting) Frank Kendall III |
| Peter J. Beshar | 2022 | 2025 | Joe Biden | Frank Kendall III |