Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Theodore Minkala | SAN DIEGO (July 1, 2025) U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Wilson Marks, left, leads Cmdr. Christian...... read more read more
SAN DIEGO (July 8, 2025) – Sac City, Iowa native and Iowa State alumnus Cmdr. Christian Colburn held a joint promotion and end-of-tour ceremony where he promoted to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps onboard Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI), July 1.
Rear Adm. Wilson Marks, commander, CSG 9, administered the Oath of Office and presented Colburn with the Meritorious Service Medal for a successful tour as legal advisor to Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, recognizing his outstanding meritorious achievement and service to the United States.
“JAGs in the Navy are critical for our ability to make informed decisions,” said Marks. “Cmdr. Colburn provided exceptional experience and gave thoughtful, honest and timely advice and was a tremendous member of our team—always doing what was needed to support Carrier Strike Group 9.”
Colburn hails from a military family that includes his father, U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Duane “Chip” Colburn, his grandfather, U.S. Army Tech. Sgt. Duane Colburn, his maternal grandfather, U.S. Navy Chief Gunner’s Mate Bert Davis and his uncle, U.S. Army Capt. Bruce Becker, Judge Advocate General's Corps.
The closeness and camaraderie observed from his father’s time in the Navy left a lasting impression on Colburn, as he credits his father’s lifelong Navy friendships as one of the reasons he later joined.
“In high school I developed a desire to serve in the armed forces and the Navy seemed to be the obvious choice,” said Colburn.
Colburn credits his success in the Navy to his parents, family friends, teachers and FarmHouse Fraternity at Iowa State.
Colburn began his sea tour in June 2023 as CSG 9 was preparing for a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific. Colburn’s role included both routine legal matters and training the strike group’s eight component ships and eight aircraft squadrons on legal topics such as law of the sea, rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict. Work-ups included both at-sea and shore-based training to provide the strike group’s 6,000 Sailors the critical legal information they needed for a successful deployment.
CSG 9 departed San Diego in January 2024 for deployment, which included operations in the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th fleets in support of global maritime security operations. In 7th fleet, CSG 9 supported regional security and participated in exercise Valiant Shield 2024 along with numerous multilateral maritime exercises. In July 2024, CSG 9 transited to the U.S. 5th fleet area of operation to strengthen U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions. After several extensions, CSG 9 began its return to homeport, arriving in San Diego in October 2024, exactly nine months after departing. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), CSG-9’s flagship, steamed over 70,000 nautical miles during her deployment with the strike group and conducted multi-lateral operations with the navies of France, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Republic of Korea. The strike group visited Bahrain, Diego Garcia, Guam, Singapore, Republic of Korea, and Thailand for port calls.
While on deployment, Colburn led CSG 9 in providing vital legal counsel and stood watch in the aircraft carrier’s command center to coordinate strike group operations. As the only legal advisor to the strike group commander, Colburn advised squadron and ship commanding officers on legal affairs across the different operating areas.
Colburn, his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters, Ila and Magnolia, will remain in San Diego for his next assignment, which is legal advisor to the commander of the Navy’s Pacific-area medical treatment facilities.
Carrier Strike Group 9 is composed of Theodore Roosevelt, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, Destroyer Squadron 23 and the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65).
For more information about Carrier Strike Group 9, please visit https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/ccsg9/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/COMCARSTRKGRU-9.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2025 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 542199 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAC CITY, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
Department of the Navy
Iowa
