William E. Ward

William E. "Kip" Ward (born June 3, 1949)[1] is a former United States Army four-star general who served as Commander, United States Africa Command from October 1, 2007 to March 8, 2011. Prior to that, Ward served as Deputy Commander, United States European Command. After he left Africa Command, Ward reverted to his permanent rank of major general and served as a special assistant to the army's Vice Chief of Staff after the Department of Defense concluded he had misused taxpayer money.[2] Ward then retired with the rank of lieutenant general in November 2012.

William E. Ward
Ward as a general in November 2009
Nickname(s)"Kip"
Born (1949-06-03) June 3, 1949
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1971–2012
RankLieutenant general (reduced from General)
Commands heldUnited States Africa Command
25th Infantry Division
Battles/warsOperation Restore Hope
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (4)

Education

Ward holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Morgan State University. While at Morgan State he was a member of the National Society of Pershing Rifles. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, United States Army Command and General Staff College, and United States Army War College.

Military service

Ward was commissioned into the infantry in 1971. His military service includes overseas tours in Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, two tours in Germany, and a wide variety of assignments in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. He relinquished command of Africa Command to General Carter F. Ham.

Career highlights

Probe

While a retirement ceremony was held in April 2011, Ward remained on active duty, pending a special Army investigation by the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense.[2] The investigation ran 17 months and ended with a ruling by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Unnamed "defense officials said Ward is facing numerous allegations that he spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled as head of Africa Command".[10] In a Pentagon report, Ward spent $129,000 of taxpayer money on an 11-day trip with an entourage of 13 military and civilian personnel.[11]

Rank

Ward held the four-star grade of general while serving as Commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), a "position of importance and responsibility" under Title 10 of the United States Code Subtitle 601 (10 USC § 601).[12] Ward was reduced in rank upon retirement by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Ward's retired rank is that of lieutenant general which was determined to be the last rank in which he had satisfactorily served.[13]

Post-military

Since retiring, Ward has served as President and chief operating officer of the logistics, IT, and engineering business, Vectrus (fka SENTEL).[14]

Ward continues to engage the strategy and policy community on matters of global security, including his participation in the Atlantic Council's 2018 Roundtable on security in Mali[15] and ongoing discussions on the role of diplomacy in global stability, including the American Academy of Diplomacy's podcast series, “The General and the Ambassador".[16]

Ward also serves on the Advisory Board of Redwood Global, an infrastructure, energy and investment firm.[17]

Awards and decorations

Ward received the following awards and decorations:[1][18]

Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge (United States)
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
10th Mountain Division Combat Service Identification Badge – SSI-FWTS
9th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
Canadian Parachutist Wings (Red Maple Leaf / Non-Operational)
 Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with two bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
 Army Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster)[19]
 Defense Superior Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
 Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
 Meritorious Service Medal (with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Joint Service Commendation Medal
 Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
 Army Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)
 Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
 National Defense Service Medal (with two bronze service stars)
 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
 Humanitarian Service Medal with bronze service star
Army Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral 6)
 NATO Medal for Yugoslavia with bronze service star

William E. Ward received the Trumpet Award in 2010[20] as well as the BEYA award for Lifetime Achievement.[21]

Notable memberships

References
  1. "S. HRG. 110–370 Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 110th Congress" (PDF). Government Printing Office. pp. 1032–1034. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. Vandiver, John, "Former AFRICOM chief Ward still on active duty pending probe", Stars and Stripes, May 28, 2012
  3. "Biography Lieutenant General William E. WARD". SFOR Informer.
  4. "USAREUR welcomes Ward as new deputy commander". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  5. Myre, Steven R. Weisman Br / and Greg. "Rice Says Both Sides Commit to Cooperation on Gaza Pullout". Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  6. Erlanger, Steven. "U.S. Presses Israel to Smooth the Path to a Palestinian Gaza". Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  7. "Middle East security coordinator named". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  8. "Bush Names Deputy EUCOM Commander to Lead AFRICOM". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  9. "United States Africa Command". www.africom.mil. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  10. "APNewsBreak: Army general facing possible demotion for lavish travel, hotel spending", AP via Washington Post, August 15, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  11. News, Defense. "404". Defense News.
  12. "10 USC § 601 – Positions of importance and responsibility: generals and lieutenant generals; admirals and vice admirals | Title 10 – Armed Forces | U.S. Code | LII / Legal Information Institute". Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  13. http://www.politico.com/story/2012/11/general-william-ward-demoted-for-lavish-travel-spending-083770
  14. "SENTEL Leadership". www.sentel.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  15. Center, Africa. "Malian Officials Discuss the Security Situation in the Sahel". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  16. "G&A Podcast – Episode 5 – The American Academy of Diplomacy". The American Academy of Diplomacy. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  17. "Redwood Global – Board of Advisors". Redwood Global official website.
  18. "Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates presents the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to outgoing commander of U.S. Africa Command Army Gen. William Ward during the AFRICOM change of command ceremony at Sindelfingen Stadthalle City Hall in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 9, 2011. Ward, the first commander of AFRICOM, handed over the reins to Army Gen. Carter Ham". Defense.gov News Photos. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  19. http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63703
  20. http://www.africom.mil/file.asp?HR=2&ID=20100204115435%5B%5D
  21. "The United States Army – Page not found". www.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Cite uses generic title (help)
  22. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2012-10-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Feature Page – General Ward – Second District, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc". www.opp2d.org.
  24. "General William E. (Kip) Ward (U.S. Army Retired)". www.morgan.edu.
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