The General Counsel of the Air Force (abbreviated SAF/GC) is the general counsel

General Counsel

A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...

 of the United States Department of the Air Force.

By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Air Force is appointed from civilian

Civilian

A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...

 life by the President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 upon the advice and consent

Advice and consent

Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...

 of the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. The General Counsel performs those duties specified by the United States Secretary of the Air Force

United States Secretary of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...

.

According to Secretary of the Air Force Order No. 111.5, dated July 14, 2005, "The General Counsel is the chief legal officer

Chief Legal Officer

A chief legal officer is the highest-ranking corporate officer concerning legal affairs of a corporation or agency. Chief legal officers typically hold the title of general counsel.- Skill requirements :...

 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 United States Under Secretary of the Air Force

United States Under Secretary of the Air Force

The Under Secretary of the Air Force is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of America, serving directly under the Secretary of the Air Force...

, and the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force is the title of four civilian officials in the United States Department of the Air Force. They report to and assist the United States Secretary of the Air Force and the United States Under Secretary of the Air Force....

, as well as the military leaders of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 on all legal matters.

List of General Counsels of the Air Force (Incomplete List)

Name	Assumed Office	Left Office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  Appointed By	Secretary United States Secretary of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...  Served Under
John A. Johnson John Alvin Johnson John Alvin Johnson was a United States lawyer and businessman who was General Counsel of the Air Force from 1952 to 1958; General Counsel of NASA from 1958 to 1963; and an executive at COMSAT from 1963 to 1980, having become CEO by the time of his retirement.-Biography:John Alvin Johnson was born...	1952	1958	Dwight Eisenhower	Thomas K. Finletter Thomas K. Finletter Thomas Knight Finletter , was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman.-Biography:Finletter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas Dickson Finletter and Helen Grill Finletter... , Harold E. Talbott Harold E. Talbott Harold Elstner Talbott, Jr. was the third United States Secretary of the Air Force.-Biography:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, in March 1888 and died in 1957... , Donald A. Quarles Donald A. Quarles Donald Aubrey Quarles was a communications engineer, senior level executive with Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric, and a top official in the United States Department of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration... , James H. Douglas, Jr. James H. Douglas, Jr. James Henderson Douglas, Jr. was a lawyer and senior-level official in the United States Government. He was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, serving under both President Herbert Hoover and President Franklin Roosevelt...
Stephen N. Shulman Stephen N. Shulman Stephen Neal Shulman was a United States lawyer most notable for representing Egil Krogh during the Watergate scandal. He was also General Counsel of the Air Force in 1965 and Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1966 to 1967.-Biography:Stephen Neal Shulman was born April...	1965	1965	Lyndon Johnson	Eugene M. Zuckert Eugene M. Zuckert Eugene Martin Zuckert was the seventh Secretary of the Air Force from January 23, 1961 to September 30, 1965. During his service as secretary, he witnessed the shifting of decision-making powers from the military departments to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a process that continued...
Eugene R. Sullivan Eugene R. Sullivan Eugene R. Sullivan is a former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He was nominated to the Court by President Ronald Reagan, confirmed by the U.S. Senate and installed in 1986. President George H.W. Bush named him the Chief Judge in 1990...	1982	1986	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....	Verne Orr Verne Orr Verne Orr was the 14th Secretary of the Air Force, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. From California, he was a businessman and educator who served in both state and national government positions.-Early life:Verne Orr was born on November 12, 1916 in Des Moines, Iowa... , Russell A. Rourke Russell A. Rourke Russell A. Rourke was a lawyer and public official. He served in key staff positions on Capital Hill and in senior executive positions within the Federal Government...
Anne N. Foreman Anne N. Foreman Anne Newman Foreman is a United States diplomat, lawyer, and businesswoman, who was General Counsel of the Air Force from 1987 to 1989 and United States Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1989 to 1993.-Biography:...	1987	1989	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....	Edward C. Aldridge, Jr.
Gilbert F. Casellas Gilbert F. Casellas Gilbert Fran Casellas is a United States lawyer who was General Counsel of the Air Force from 1993 to 1994 and Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1994 to 1997.-Biography:...	1993	1994	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...	Sheila Widnall
Sheila C. Cheston Sheila C. Cheston Sheila C. Cheston is a United States lawyer who was General Counsel of the Air Force from March 1995 to October 1998.-Biography:...	1995	1998	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...	Sheila Widnall
Jeh Johnson Jeh Johnson Jeh Charles Johnson is an American civil and criminal trial lawyer, currently serving as General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Johnson is a graduate of Morehouse College and Columbia Law School, and is grandson of noted sociologist and Fisk University president Dr. Charles S...	1998	1999	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...	F. Whitten Peters
Mary L. Walker Mary L. Walker Mary L. Walker is a United States lawyer who served as General Counsel of the Air Force during the presidency of George W. Bush. She gained notoriety for her role in a 2003 review by the United States Department of Defense of the so-called Torture Memos.-Biography:Mary L. Walker was born in...	2001	2008	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....	James G. Roche James G. Roche Dr. James G. Roche was the 20th Secretary of the Air Force, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2005. Prior to serving as secretary, Roche served in the United States Navy for 23 years, and as an executive with Northrop Grumman.... , Michael Wynne Michael Wynne Michael W. Wynne is an American business executive and was the 21st United States Secretary of the Air Force. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked for and received his resignation Michael W. Wynne (born September 4, 1944) is an American business executive and was the 21st United States...
Charles A. Blanchard Charles A. Blanchard (lawyer) Charles A. Blanchard is a United States lawyer who served as General Counsel of the Army from 1999 to 2001, and who has served as General Counsel of the Air Force from 2009 to present.-Biography:...	2009	Present	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...	Michael B. Donley Michael B. Donley Michael Bruce Donley is the 22nd Secretary of the United States Air Force. Donley has 30 years of experience in the national security community, including service on the staff of the United States Senate, White House and The Pentagon...