| Mr. Christian M.L. Bonat is the Acting Deputy General Counsel (Legal Counsel). He has served in this capacity since May 2008. He assists the General Counsel and advises the Secretary of Defense and other senior DoD officials on numerous matters, including litigation within DoD and with the Department of Justice, providing legal advice on legislative matters, Constitutional questions, Congressional subpoenas and requests for information, classified information, personnel security, and Freedom of Information and Privacy Act matters.Mr. Bonat previously served as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the Army. In that position he provided legal and policy advice to the Army Secretariat on all aspects of detainee policy and operations, military commissions, interrogations policy and operations, Army law enforcement activities, and on other matters of international and operational law. Prior to that position, Mr. Bonat was an associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin, LLP, in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice included corporate civil and criminal litigation and internal investigations, as well as appellate matters. Mr. Bonat is also a former research assistant to Judge Robert H. Bork (D.C. Cir., retired) at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Bonat served on active duty in the Navy from 1991-2001 as a Naval Aviator and strategic planner. During his naval service, he participated in various operations and exercises in the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf, logging over 1000 flight hours in the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, and was a member of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations where he handled various defense planning and policy issues. Mr. Bonat also served on the Board of Directors and Editorial Board of the United States Naval Institute in Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Bonat’s publications include “Military Commissions for Terrorists on Solid Constitutional Ground” (Washington Legal Foundation Legal Backgrounder, 2004 (co-author)), “Your Reason Isn’t Reasonable: An Analysis of the Legitimacy of Faith-Based Arguments in the Public Debate” (Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, 2003), and “The European Court of Human Rights” (Federalist Society White Paper, 2003). Mr. Bonat graduated with merit with a B.S. and Honors in History from the United States Naval Academy in 1991, with an M.A. in National Security Studies from the Georgetown University Graduate School, and cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and three children. |
