Lieutenant General Christopher F Burne, USAF (retired), was the 17th Judge Advocate General of the Air Force. Following the lead of his father, a highly decorated World War II Eighth Air Force veteran, he was commissioned in 1983, retiring from active duty as a 3-star general after 35-years of service.  He is a two-time recipient of the AF Distinguished Service Medal.

As the Air Force’s top uniformed lawyer, General Burne served as the Legal Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff.  He was responsible for the professional direction of 4,500 military and civilian attorneys, paralegals, and administrative civilians, overseeing military justice, operational and international law, litigation, and civil law functions.  During his illustrious career, he twice deployed to the Persian Gulf region, and he was on duty in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, during the terrorist attack.

General Burne is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.  He currently serves on the Executive Committee of The Lincoln Forum and on the Board of Directors of The Saint John XXIII Foundation. He is the President of Charged With Excellence, a company he founded for leadership consulting and public speaking.  He resides in Gettysburg with his wife, retired Air Force Colonel, Robin Burne.  They have two sons who are both officers in the United States Army.