Brig. Gen. Christopher Eason is the Chief of Staff - Air, Oklahoma Air National Guard. He is the principal advisor to The Adjutant General for Oklahoma for all Oklahoma Air National Guard matters. General Eason is also responsible for the combat readiness and operational effectiveness for all Oklahoma Air National Guard units.
Via Commissioned Officer Training, the general entered the Air Force following graduation from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2004. General Eason has served for approximately 20 years as a member of the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserves in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. He has served as a wing staff judge advocate, a deployed staff judge advocate, and a headquarters staff judge advocate, advising on an array of issues from military justice to overseas contingency operations, including both dynamic and deliberate targeting. Notably, General Eason also served as a prosecutor with the Office of Military Commissions, Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he prosecuted two al Qaeda members to conviction for Law of War violations, including the murder of a Special Operations Forces soldier and Usama bin Laden’s Media Secretary for, among other crimes, his involvement with the 2000 U.S.S. Cole bombing and the 9/11 attacks. Prior to his current position, the general was the State Staff Judge Advocate for the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
In his civilian capacity, General Eason serves as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice. He has prosecuted hundreds of cases including complex white collar cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, high profile public corruption cases, and international drug trafficking and money laundering cases involving transnational criminal and terrorist organizations. To this end, he has traveled throughout Central and South America, Europe, and Southeast Asia leading multi-jurisdictional teams and building effective partnerships with senior foreign government officials. He is a member of the Oklahoma and Texas Bar Associations and has litigation experience in military commissions, courts-martial, and the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of Virginia, Southern District of California, and the Eastern and Northern District of Texas.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
2004 Juris Doctor in Law, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
2009 Squadron Officer School
2018 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2018 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 2004 - July 2006, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, 1st Fighter Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Va.
2. August 2006 - July 2008, Area Defense Counsel, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Langley AFB, Va.
3. July 2008 - January 2011, Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
4. April 2011 - December 2014, Reserve Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas
5. December 2014 - May 2019, Staff Judge Advocate, 137th Special Operations Wing, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla.
6. April 2016 - November 2016, Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Special Operations Air Component-Central, Special Operations Command Central
7. May 2019 – November 2023, State Staff Judge Advocate, Oklahoma Air National Guard, Joint Forces Headquarters, Okla.
8. December 2023 – present, Assistant Adjutant General, Oklahoma Air National Guard, Joint Forces Headquarters, Okla.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2008 - January 2011, Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a captain
2. April 2016 - November 2016, Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Special Operations Air Component-Central, Special Operations Command Central, as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Award
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2012 and 2013 Air Combat Command Legal Office of the Year
2013 Department of Justice Executive Office for United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney – Criminal
2014 Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General Award
2016 Air Force Special Operations Command Air Reserve Component Judge Advocate of the Year
2016 Non-Air Combat Command/non-Air Mobility Command Air National Guard Legal Office of the Year
2018 Special Unit Category Air National Guard Legal Office of the Year
2019 Oklahoma Distinguished Service Medal
2019 National Association of Former United States Attorneys Exceptional Service Award
2020 Selected to United States Attorney General Joint Task Force Vulcan
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
First Lieutenant Nov. 6, 2004
Captain May 6, 2005
Major Sept. 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 1, 2015
Colonel Nov. 21, 2019
Brigadier General Dec. 1, 2023
(Current as of December 2023)