A 1965 graduate of West Point, he went on to earn multiple post-graduate degrees and hold numerous commands during his army career.

Additionally, Christman served for a year and a half as Army adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William J. Crowe, and then as Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States for National Security Affairs.

Christman also served as Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy in Department of Army Headquarters, Washington, D.C. His duties in this assignment focused on negotiations relating to the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) arms control talks between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

He is a frequent contributor to CNN, and has also appeared on ABC, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN to discuss defense and national security issues.

Christman has written and lectured extensively on leadership and national defense, including the ongoing war against international terrorism.

He served as Senior Vice President International Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce starting in June 2003, and was previously the executive director of the Kimsey Foundation in Washington, D.C.