ROBERT J. PRESTON II

Robert J. Preston II, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of Civil Law and Litigation for The Judge Advocate General’s Corps, United States Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. He is the senior career civilian attorney in The Judge Advocate General’s Corps and supervises a workforce of attorneys, paralegals and staff advising Department of the Air Force leaders and their staff at all levels of command on the application of the Constitution, legislation, court and administrative decisions. He also oversees civil litigation operations and field support in the areas of Tort, Medical, Civilian and Military Personnel, Information and Acquisition Law. Additionally, he is responsible for providing field support on Civil Law-related installation issues as well as overseeing the provision of Legal Assistance to Air Force members and their families Air Force-wide.

Mr. Preston enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1988 and transferred to the Air Force after being commissioned as a Judge Advocate in 1994. Prior to his retirement from active duty in June 2018, Mr. Preston served as the Director of Professional Development for The Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He previously served in a variety of leadership and staff positions including as an Instructor at The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School, a Staff Judge Advocate for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and the 4th Fighter Wing, and as Director of the Air Force’s Acquisition Law and Litigation Directorate. Mr. Preston was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in June 2018 and served as the Deputy General Counsel for Administration (acting) at the Department of Commerce prior to his return to the Air Force in September 2020.

EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts, Economics, University of Texas at San Antonio
1994 Juris Doctor, Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock
2003 Master of Laws in International Law, with highest honors, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2013 Master of Security Studies, Grand Strategy Program, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. May 1994–June 1996, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. June 1996–March 1998, Area Defense Counsel, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. March 1998–July 2001, Trial Attorney, Contract Trial Team, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
4. August 2001–August 2002, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology (LLM), The George
Washington University, Washington, D.C.
5. August 2002–September 2003, Chief of Operations Law, 16th Air Force, Aviano Air Base, Italy
6. September 2003–April 2004, Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions, Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. May 2004–September 2004, Chief of Operations Law, U.S. Central Command, Southeast Asia (Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom)
8. April 2004–March 2005, Chief, Doctrine, Plans and Readiness, Air Force Operations Law Division, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (May 2004–September 2004, Chief of Operations Law, USCENTCOM, Southeast Asia, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom)
9. March 2005–July 2007, Instructor and then Chief of the Operations and International Law Division, The Judge Advocate General’s School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 2007–June 2009, Legal Advisor and then Executive Officer, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. July 2009–July 2010, Staff Judge Advocate, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southeast Asia (Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom)
12. July 2010–July 2012, Staff Judge Advocate, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
13. July 2012–June 2013, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
14. June 2013–June 2014, Chief, Contract Law Field Support Center, Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
15. June 2014–September 2016, Director, Headquarters Air Force Acquisition Law and Litigation, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. October 2016–June 2018, Director, Professional Development, Office of The Judge Advocate General, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2018–Retired from U.S. Air Force
18. June 2018–January 2020, Chief, Contract Law Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
19. January 2020–September 2020, Acting Deputy General Counsel for Administration, Office of General Counsel, Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
20. September 2020–present, Director of Civil Law, The Judge Advocate General’s Corps, JB Andrews, Md.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with silver and oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon (Long)
Air Force Overseas Ribbon (Short)
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with oak leaf cluster

(Current as of November 2021)