About General William E. Ward and His Work at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition

William E. (Kip) Ward is a retired U.S. Army General who has spent a lifetime working hard to keep the United States safe. This blog will focus on his work at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) and what he and others are doing to strengthen the United States’ international affairs programs to ensure development and diplomacy are an important part of the United States’ foreign policy.

General Ward was the first Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) where he established an interagency combatant command with representatives from State, Homeland Security, Treasury, Commerce, and other U.S. Cabinet departments and agencies. The command was responsible for U.S. security and defense activities and initiatives on Africa and its island nations. General William Ward served as Commander of AFRICOM from October 1, 2007 to March 8, 2011.

General William Ward served in a number of positions prior to AFRICOM, including as Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army.  In May 2006, Ward was installed as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. European Command, thus affording him the very distinct honor of being the fifth 4-Star African-American General in the U.S. Army. Today, General William Ward is retired, but he maintains leadership roles in a number of charitable initiatives and is a member of the USGLC National Security Advisory Council (NSAC).

The USGLC NSAC includes more than 200 of our nation’s finest retired 3 and 4-star generals and admirals who understand the importance of development and diplomacy – alongside a strong defense – in advancing the nation’s national security. The NSAC was founded by Admiral Leighton Smith, USN (Ret.) and General Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.) in 2008, and today is co-chaired by Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) and General Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.).

Given their extraordinary knowledge and experience in the U.S. Armed Forces, these NSAC members are very important in helping USGLC achieve its goal of having a healthy International Affairs Budget and building increased support for diplomatic and development efforts to keep the United States and the world safe. General William Ward is proud to be one of 120 members of NSAC to sign a letter in 2017 to leaders in Congress advocating the need for a robust International Affairs Budget.