David Ehrhart

Last updated
David Ehrhart
David Ehrhart official photo.jpg
Personal details
Born1953 (age 7172)
Topeka, Kansas
SpouseChristine L. Ehrhart
Education United States Air Force Academy
University of Utah
Creighton University School of Law
Air War College
Military service
Rank Brigadier general

David Ehrhart is a retired United States Air Force brigadier general [1] and lawyer. In June 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to become General Counsel of the Air Force. The nomination was withdrawn in September 2017. [2]

Contents

Biography

Ehrhart graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1975 [3] with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He earned a master's degree in business administration and management from the University of Utah in 1977, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1981. He later graduated from the Air War College in Alabama in 1994. [4] [5]

He served for 33 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a brigadier general. [6] While in the Air Force, Ehrhart completed tours as staff judge advocate for the Air Force Materiel Command's headquarters and as assistant judge advocate general for military law and operations for the Air Force's headquarters. He also served as commander of the Air Force Legal Services Agency, staff judge advocate at the Air Force's European headquarters, and commandant of the Air Force Judge Advocate General School. [7]

Ehrhart served as associate general counsel at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, where he was the lead attorney responsible for the F-35 program. [8] He was previously the chief counsel of global sustainment for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. [7]

Boards and Affiliations

In 2013, Ehrhart served as chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel, which supports service members, veterans, and their families in understanding and exercising their legal rights. [9]

Ehrhart also served as the 2015–16 chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law while working as associate general counsel at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas. [10]

On July 23, 2018, Ehrhart was nominated to serve as a Member of the Board of Visitors of the United States Air Force Academy for the remainder of a three-year term. [11]

As of November 2025, Ehrhart serves on the Board of Trustees of The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School Foundation [12]

Awards and Honors

During his Air Force career, Ehrhart received numerous honors recognizing his leadership and service within the Judge Advocate General's Corps. In 2001, he was named the recipient of the Stuart R. Reichart Award for outstanding contributions to the administration of military justice and professional excellence. [13] [14]

He was later recognized by Creighton University School of Law as its 2006 Alumni Merit Award recipient for his distinguished career in military law and continued service to the legal profession. [15]


References

  1. "Checkpoints Online – Class of 1975". 75 Best Alive. United States Air Force Academy Class of 1975. Retrieved November 11, 2025. Dave Ehrhart's promotion ceremony to BG was at Bolling AFB, 31 Aug 2006.
  2. "Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  3. "Graduation Ceremony Publication – Class of 1975" (PDF). 75 Best Alive. United States Air Force Academy Class of 1975. June 4, 1975. Retrieved November 11, 2025. 505. David G. Ehrhart listed among 1975 graduates.
  4. United States Air Force. "Brigadier General David G. Ehrhart." Official Air Force Biography. U.S. Air Force, updated 2005. Accessed 10 November 2025. <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/104660/brigadier-general-david-g-ehrhart/" target="_blank">https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/104660/brigadier-general-david-g-ehrhart/</a>.
  5. "Creighton University School of Law – 2006 Alumni Merit Award Recipient". Creighton University Alumni and Friends. Creighton University. Retrieved November 11, 2025. Brig. Gen. David G. Ehrhart, JD '81. Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1975 from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master's degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Utah.Graduate of the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.
  6. Wagner, Erich (June 14, 2017). "Appointee Watch: An FBI Director Nominee, Defense Picks and More". Government Executive. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  8. Albon, Courtney (June 12, 2017). "White House taps David Ehrhart for USAF general counsel". Inside Defense. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. "David G. Ehrhart, Chair of ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel". The Lima News. Gannett. July 27, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2025. David G. Ehrhart, a retired Air Force brigadier general and chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel, added, "Of the many sacrifices made by our nation's military families, many of which often go unseen, one sacrifice these families should never make is in having a clear understanding of the legal rights and special protections available to them."
  10. "Chair's Message – Section of Public Contract Law" (PDF). The Procurement Lawyer. American Bar Association. Spring 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2025. David G. Ehrhart is associate general counsel at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, and the 2015–16 chair of the Section of Public Contract Law.
  11. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. July 23, 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  12. "Board of Trustees". The Air Force Judge Advocate General's School Foundation. The Air Force JAG School Foundation. Retrieved 9 November 2025. Brig Gen (Ret) David G. Ehrhart, USAF, listed as a member of the Board of Trustees.
  13. "Stuart R. Reichart Award — Award Recipients from the Past 25 Years". Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2025. "Colonel David G. Ehrhart, 2001" listed under Stuart R. Reichart Award recipients.
  14. "David Ehrhart Receives Stuart R. Reichart Award". Omaha World-Herald. BH Media Group. Retrieved November 11, 2025. Colonel David G. Ehrhart received the Stuart R. Reichart Award from the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps.
  15. "2006 Alumni Merit Award Recipient – Brig. Gen. David G. Ehrhart, JD '81". Creighton University Alumni Relations. Creighton University. Retrieved November 9, 2025.