General William E. 'Kip' Ward served as the 1st Commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), from 1 October 2007 to 8 March 2011.

After he left AFRICOM, General 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. MG Ward then retired with the rank of lieutenant general in November 2012.