Colonel Sharon A. Shaffer is the Staff Judge Advocate for Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.  As staff judge advocate, she is the principal legal adviser to the Commander Air Combat Command (ACC) and headquarters staff on all legal issues involving military justice, combat operations, civil litigation, environmental law, claims, international law, and administrative law.  She provides professional guidance to over 300 active duty, reserve and civilian attorneys and to over 300 enlisted paralegals and civilians.  Colonel Shaffer’s office establishes policy oversight for 17 legal offices, including six general court-martial jurisdictions, which provide legal services to over 134,000 active duty members and civilians and their eligible dependents.

Colonel Shaffer was commissioned as an Air Force officer through the direct appointment program and entered active duty on 5 February 1990. She has served as a Circuit Trial Counsel, Circuit Defense Counsel, Military Judge, and Staff Judge Advocate for Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command.  In 2003, Colonel Shaffer was selected as the first Deputy Chief Defense Counsel for the Office of Military Commissions and assigned to represent one of the first four detainees charged in the Global War on Terrorism.  Following the military commissions, she served as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe.  Colonel Shaffer has tried over 150 courts-martial as either trial or defense counsel and presided as a military judge in 160 general and special courts-martial.  

Colonel Shaffer is licensed to practice law before the Supreme Court of the State of Michigan, the United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States Supreme Court.