Posted on 07/11/2007 7:03:10 AM PDT by STARWISE
U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday nominated Army Gen. William Ward, the highest ranking black in the U.S. military, to lead the new Africa Command and coordinate military operations on the continent.
Bush's decision in February to create Africa Command came after months of discussion inside the Pentagon and reflected increasing U.S. strategic interest in the continent and worry that Islamic militants were finding safe haven there.
Ward, who must be confirmed by the Senate, is only the fifth black man to attain a fourth star, making him a full general.
"I am honored by President Bush's and (Defense) Secretary (Robert) Gates' confidence and look forward to the confirmation process," Ward said in a prepared statement.
U.S. military and intelligence assessments have for years pointed to potential threats in Africa posed by weak governments and ungoverned spaces as well as humanitarian crises and armed conflicts.
Al Qaeda carried out near simultaneous car bombings at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998, killing more than 250 people.
Since then, the United States began counterterrorism training for local armies in West and Central Africa and this year launched air strikes targeting al Qaeda militants in Somalia.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
General William E. (Kip) Ward is Deputy Commander, Headquarters US European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. USEUCOM is responsible for the day to day operational activities for US forces operating across 92 countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and the Middle East, the Mediterranean and most of the Atlantic Ocean.
General Ward was commissioned into the Infantry in June 1971. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, US Army Command and General Staff College, and US 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.
His command and troop assignments include: Platoon Leader, 3d Battalion (Airborne), 325th Infantry, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Rifle Company Commander, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 17th Infantry, 2d Infantry Division, Camp Howze, Korea; S-4 (Logistics), 210th Field Artillery Brigade, VII Corps, US Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Executive Officer, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division, US Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Commander, 5th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 2d Brigade, later G-4 (Logistics), 6th Infantry Division (Light), Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Commander, 2d Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, New York and Operation Restore Hope, Mogadishu, Somalia; Assistant Division Commander (Support), 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Commanding General 25th Infantry Division (Light) and US Army, Hawaii, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and Commander, Stabilization Force, Operation Joint Forge, Sarajevo, Bosnia.
His staff assignments include: Executive Officer, US Army Military Community Activity – Aschaffenburg, US Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Staff Officer (Logistics), Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, US Army, Washington, DC; Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, US Army, Washington, DC; Deputy Director for Operations, J-3, National Military Command Center, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC; Chief, Office of Military Cooperation, Egypt, American Embassy, Egypt; and Vice Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC.
Prior to assuming his current position, he was the Deputy Commanding General/Chief of Staff, US 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.
General Ward’s awards and badges include: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster); the Distinguished Service Medal; the Defense Superior Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters); the Legion of Merit (with three Oak Leaf Clusters); the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal (with six Oak Leaf Clusters); the Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Army Commendation Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters); the Army Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster); the Expert Infantryman’s Badge; the Combat Infantryman’s Badge; and the Master Parachutist Badge.
That resume is no joke.
“That resume is no joke.”
No kidding. Impressive.
I’m shocked they noticed the mans skin color /sarcasm....do any news reports say Bush appoints a WHITE man to this or that Post..Racism is alive and well in the MSM!
It would have been a story if the generals resume looked like a Clinton Appointee..but this man looks like a great canidate on merit..not color
Having said that, it is undeniable that having a black man working with the locals in Africa will have a much different dynamic than a white man.
Perhaps a Headline like ..Bush picks very qualified general to lead Africa operations.
Then the story could mention that this qualified man happens to be black.
Paraphrase:
I dream of a day that men are judged on the content of their character not the color of their skin. The left shoves race down our throats every chance they can but they are obsessed with color.
Bwana.
If I were General Ward I’d be offended by how racist this article is.
I am not familiar with Army awards. Are any of the General’s awards combat related.
The CIB is.
Let’s hope the first mission of the Africa Command is to overthrow Robert Mugabe and save the lives of a million people in Zimbabwe.
Great. An “African Command”. Maybe it was created to oversee the billions in AIDS dollars.
Well, it’s just a damned good thing there were no mexican generals available, or this guy would not have got anything. Merit or no merit.
Yep. Why is it important that he is black?
Thats a career destroying job if ever there was one....
I liked Gen. Honore. He seemed just the man for the job.
The same goes for this general.
What are you trying to say with that there buddy? Correct me if I’m wrong but did you just put a USA over the swastika in the old Afrika Korps logo?
Started with the 82ND Airborne, and he has a CIB!
Excellent!
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