Colonel N. A. Ahmed, CD

Director of Defence Counsel Services

Colonel Ahmed was appointed by the Minister of National Defence on 11 September 2022 to a four-year term as the Director of Defence Counsel Services. The DDCS is responsible, pursuant to the NDA and QR&O, to provide legal services and legal representation to persons who are liable to be tried under the Code of Service Discipline (CSD).

Colonel Nooral Ahmed joined the Canadian Armed Forces and Office of the Judge Advocate General in 2005, after practicing for over 10 years as a civil litigation and criminal defence lawyer in the Comox Valley, British Columbia.

Following training, he was posted to Petawawa, where he advised Canadian Army units on matters of general military law. In 2009, he was posted to Kingston under the Directorate of Intelligence and Information Operations. During this time, he chaired a Five Eyes legal working group facilitating interoperability and implementing best practices from allied members.

In 2012, Colonel Ahmed was posted to Ottawa into the Directorate of Military Personnel. During this period, he was employed primarily in the area of administrative law. From 2016-2018, he was seconded to the Privy Council Office Legal Operations section where he advised the National Security Advisor and prepared briefings for the Cabinet Committee on Civil Litigation and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

Upon return to duty with the OJAG in 2018, Col Ahmed became the senior legal advisor to the Canadian Special Forces Command advising on operational law. In 2020, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and posted as the Assistant Judge Advocate Prairie Region located in Winnipeg. While there, he supervised a team of lawyers, focussed on general legal matters and advising on NORAD activities.

Colonel Ahmed has deployed in 2008 as the legal advisor to the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team and the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team as part of the CAF Task Force in Afghanistan.

He holds a B.A.(Hons) in law from Carleton University (1988) and obtained his law degree from the University of Victoria (1991).

Date biography modified: 2024-12-12

Col N. A. Ahmed, CD
Director of Defence Counsel Services