Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Brian Ashley "Ash" Power (born 20 January 1957) is a retired senior officer of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

. Power served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2011 until his retirement in May 2014.

Military career

Power entered the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state ...

in January 1975. He graduated nearly four years later in December 1978 and was allocated to the

Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...

. He was posted to the 4th Field Regiment for regimental duty and performed the functions of Section Commander, Gun Position Officer, and Assistant Adjutant. He later returned to command the Regiment, for which he was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 1998. He has been an instructor at the School of Artillery, the Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, United Kingdom, and has also attended Command and Staff College,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, Thailand. In November 1998 Power deployed to Bougainville Island on Operation Belisi as the Chief of Staff, and in September 1999 was deployed as the Colonel Operations for

International Force East Timor The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...

(INTERFET). He was posted as the Defence Attaché Thailand in January 2000, and on his return in January 2002, studied at the Australian Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, Canberra. Power was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

on 22 November 2002, and assumed command of the 1st Brigade on 6 December 2002. In 2005 Power was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, and assumed command of the 1st Division on 2 July 2005. In June 2006 he became a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

, and in November 2006 was posted as Commander Joint Task Force 636. Power served as Australian Commander of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2007 (TS07) before assuming command of Training Command, Army on 6 July 2007. In May 2011, Power was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS) and Commander of Headquarters, Joint Operations Command (HQJOC). He was upgraded to an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2012 Australia Day Honours List. Ash Power is a veteran of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...

and Bougainville.

Personal

In 1978, Power married Narelle.Major General Ash Power, CSC and Mrs Narelle Power
at Government House, Queensland, October 2005. They have two daughters.

Honours and awards

Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon

References

External links

Copyright photo of Major General Ash Power AM CSC, Commander 1st Division
26 April 2007. Sourc
General John Abizaid (US Army), right, presents Major General Ash Power with The Legion of Merit award
Photo by Phill Vavasour {{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Ash 1957 births Military personnel from Victoria (state) Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Australian generals Australian military personnel of the International Force for East Timor Australian military personnel of the Iraq War Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Chiefs of Joint Operations (Australia) Living people Officers of the Legion of Merit Officers of the Order of Australia People from Wangaratta Recipients of the Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates Australian recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)