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Major General (Ret'd) Karl Ford
Director Defence Planning,
NATO
Following a cadetship to Bath University, Karl Ford commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1989. Service in his first close support regiment (40 Regt RA) included the liberation of Kuwait (Op GRANBY/DESERT STORM - 1991), before joining the Allied Commander Europe’s Mobile Force (Land) or AMF(L), which included a Balkans deployment (1993). In 1995, he took command of a close support headquarter battery (O Battery/1RHA), before commanding a company of peshmerga in northern Iraq (Op WARDEN - 1996). He then spent 6 months with the Australian Army before returning as an SO3 Plans at the UK’s HQ Land Command, which was punctuated by a tour in HQ SFOR, Sarajevo (1997). He then spent 6 months on the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) South Africa, followed by penance in the UK’s Ministry of Defence, prior to attending the Advanced Command and Staff Course 4 in 1999/2001.
As SO2 J5 in the UK’s deployable Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), he served in Cote D’Ivoire, Indonesia, Afghanistan (CJTF-180 - 2002), and the Gulf (Op TELIC 1/IRAQI FREEDOM - 2003) as an operational level/campaign planner. In 2003, he assumed subunit command (137 Bty/40 Regt RA), returning to Iraq as the brigade operations company (Op TELIC 2 - 2003) and deploying to Cyprus with UNFICYP (2004). On promotion, he was appointed to HQ ARRC and deployed back to Afghanistan (ISAF IX – 2006) through the period of NATO expansion.
He commanded a close support artillery regiment (26 Regt RA), including a tour to Iraq (Op TELIC 13 - 2008), before moving to the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) as Military Assistant to the Chief of Joint Operations (MA/CJO). As an OF5, he was the Chief of Staff of the Army 2020 Study, which delivered a root and branch re-design of the British Army. On promotion to OF6 in 2012, he took command of 3(UK) Division’s field artillery brigade, as the last Commander Royal Artillery (CRA). In September 2014, he took up post as ACOS J5 (Plans & Policy), SHAPE, which included the staff lead for NATO’s Readiness Action Plan to adapt the Alliance in response to a resurgent Russia and dynamic threats from the Middle East and North Africa. After returning to the UK as Brigadier Army Staff in the Army Headquarters, he was promoted to be Major General, and has assumed the post of DCOS Plans at JFC-BS, at the end of September 2017.He was appointed MBE in 2003, QCVS in 2009 and CBE in 2017. In February 2020, he took over the position as the Director of the Policy and Capabilities Division in the International Military Staff.
He is married to Mary, and they have two sons (17 and 13) and a daughter (9). His passion is paragliding (President Army Paragliding) but other interests include sailing (ex-Commodore of the RAYC), skiing (Chairman Army Alpine) and scuba-diving.
As SO2 J5 in the UK’s deployable Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), he served in Cote D’Ivoire, Indonesia, Afghanistan (CJTF-180 - 2002), and the Gulf (Op TELIC 1/IRAQI FREEDOM - 2003) as an operational level/campaign planner. In 2003, he assumed subunit command (137 Bty/40 Regt RA), returning to Iraq as the brigade operations company (Op TELIC 2 - 2003) and deploying to Cyprus with UNFICYP (2004). On promotion, he was appointed to HQ ARRC and deployed back to Afghanistan (ISAF IX – 2006) through the period of NATO expansion.
He commanded a close support artillery regiment (26 Regt RA), including a tour to Iraq (Op TELIC 13 - 2008), before moving to the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) as Military Assistant to the Chief of Joint Operations (MA/CJO). As an OF5, he was the Chief of Staff of the Army 2020 Study, which delivered a root and branch re-design of the British Army. On promotion to OF6 in 2012, he took command of 3(UK) Division’s field artillery brigade, as the last Commander Royal Artillery (CRA). In September 2014, he took up post as ACOS J5 (Plans & Policy), SHAPE, which included the staff lead for NATO’s Readiness Action Plan to adapt the Alliance in response to a resurgent Russia and dynamic threats from the Middle East and North Africa. After returning to the UK as Brigadier Army Staff in the Army Headquarters, he was promoted to be Major General, and has assumed the post of DCOS Plans at JFC-BS, at the end of September 2017.He was appointed MBE in 2003, QCVS in 2009 and CBE in 2017. In February 2020, he took over the position as the Director of the Policy and Capabilities Division in the International Military Staff.
He is married to Mary, and they have two sons (17 and 13) and a daughter (9). His passion is paragliding (President Army Paragliding) but other interests include sailing (ex-Commodore of the RAYC), skiing (Chairman Army Alpine) and scuba-diving.