Profiles of Bravery

Gen. William E. (Kip) Ward

First commander of U.S. Army Africa Command

General Ward

Gen. William E. (Kip) Ward became the first commander of U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, on Oct. 1, 2007. U.S. Africa Command is one of six unified geographic commands within the Department of Defense unified command structure.

Ward was commissioned into the Infantry in June 1971. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College. He holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelors of Art Degree in Political Science from Morgan State University. His military service has included overseas tours in Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia, Israel, two tours in Germany, and a wide variety of assignments in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Prior to assuming his current position, Ward was Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. He previously served as the Deputy Commanding General/Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. While in this capacity he was selected by the Secretary of State to serve as the United States Security Coordinator, Israel – Palestinian Authority where he served from March through December 2005.

See Gen. Ward’s full profile on AFRICOM.mil Go back to profiles