Col. Christine Piper 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, operational and international law, and civil law. Col. Piper provides professional guidance to over 300 active duty, reserve and civilian attorneys and to over 300 enlisted paralegals and civilians. Her office establishes policy oversight for 21 legal offices, to include six general court-martial jurisdictions, providing legal services to over 157,000 active duty and reserve members, civilians and their eligible dependents.
Col. Piper entered the Air Force as an active-duty judge advocate in May 1997, obtaining her commission through direct appointment. While on active duty, she served as a deployed staff judge advocate, program attorney, and associate general counsel.
As a civilian Air Force attorney, Col. Piper served as an associate deputy general counsel in the Acquisition Division, Office of the General Counsel; as Chief, Plans and Programs, Headquarters, Acquisition Law and Litigation Directorate; and as a senior trial attorney in the Commercial Litigation Field Support Center, Air Force Legal Operations Agency. As a reservist, Col. Piper served at the center, division, numbered air force, and air staff levels before assuming her current role. She is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Colorado and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelors of Arts Degree in Italian, The University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
1996 Juris Doctorate, The University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
1997 Officer Training School
1999 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2004 Master of Laws (Government Procurement), Highest Honors, The George Washington University Washington, DC
2011 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2014 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1997 – June 1999, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Claims, Contract Law),31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy
2. July 1999 – June 2002, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Military Justice, Operational Acquisitions), Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma (September 2001 – December 2001, Deployed Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia)
3. July 2002 – July 2003, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Military Justice), Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
4. August 2003 – June 2004, Student, George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC
5. July 2004 – June 2006, Program Attorney, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, California (December 2004 – April 2005, Deployed Staff Judge Advocate and Deputy Staff Judge Advocate Joint Contracting Command – Iraq, and General Counsel, Project and Contracting Office, Baghdad, Iraq)
6. July 2006 – June 2008, Assistant General Counsel, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
7. August 2008 – March 2009, (civilian) Assistant Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition), Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC
8. April 2009 – April 2011, (IMA) Reserve Coordinator and Trial Attorney, Commercial Litigation Field Support Center, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, JB Andrews, Md.
9. April 2011 – April 2012, (civilian) Chief, Plans and Programs, Headquarters Acquisition Law and Litigation Directorate, JB Andrews, Md.
10. April 2011 – June 2014, (IMA) Legal Advisor, Air Force Personnel Counsel, SAF/MRB, JB Andrews, Md.
11. May 2012 – April 2016, (civilian) Senior Trial Attorney, Commercial Litigation Field Support Center, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, JB Andrews, Md.
12. June 2014 – December 2016, IMA to the Staff Judge Advocate, 7th Air Force, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
13. January 2017 – April 2019, IMA to the Division Chief, Military Justice Division, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
14. May 2019 – April 2021, IMA to the Staff Judge Advocate, 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill.
15. May 2021 – February 2023, IMA to the Total Force Advisor to TJAG, Pentagon, Washington, DC
16. February 2023 – Present, Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
PUBLICATIONS
Killing the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg: Data Rights Law and Policy in Department of Defense Contracts, 34 Pub. Cont. L. J. 287 (Winter 2005); Winner, 2005 PCLJ writing competition
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
Civilian Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Judge Advocates’ Association Outstanding Career Judge Advocate (AF Reserve) 2020
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
First Lieutenant May 12, 1997
Captain Dec. 30, 1997
Major Dec. 3, 2004
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 2, 2010
Colonel May 1, 2017
(Current as of February 2023)