William E. Ward

William E. "Kip" Ward (born March 6, 1949), is a former United States Army four-star general who previously served as Commander, U.S. Africa Command from October 1, 2007 to March 8, 2011. Prior to that, Ward previously served as Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command. After he left U.S. 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. Ward then retired with the rank of lieutenant general in November 2012.

Ward holds an M.A. in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. 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, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College.

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.

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. The investigation has run 17 months and a ruling on the matter is pending with 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". 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.

Rank

Ward held the four-star grade of general while serving as Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), a "position of importance and responsibility" under Title 10 of the United States Code Subtitle 601 (10 USC § 601). 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.

Ward received the following awards and decorations:

	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)
	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 as well as the BEYA award for Lifetime Achievement.

• 100 Black Men of America
• Omega Psi Phi
• Sigma Pi Phi