Rick Froh is currently the President of Allied Support Services International Group (ASSIG) a Canada-based defence procurement advisory helping industry clients align with NATO, EU, and allied nations’ procurement frameworks. He is also the Strategic Advisor to the CEO of Terida, a USA/Canada-based regulatory technology company and the Executive Director of the Dr Manfred Wöner Circle at NATO.
From 2016 to 2024, Rick was an Hoourary Professor at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University.
Graduating with a Civil Engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1972, Rick served as a Military Engineer in the Canadian Army for over 28 years. His postings took him from Kingston to Brussels, with stops in Chilliwack, Petawawa, Trail, Lahr, Ottawa, and Leavenworth. Highlights included Wargamer in the Operational Research and Analysis Establishment, G4 (Logistics/Administration) of the Special Service Forces, Commanding Officer of 4 Combat Engineer Regiment in Germany and Military Assistant to 3 Chairs of NATO Military Committee.
In 1996, Rick joined the NATO International Staff as the Head of the Land Armaments Section of Defence Suppoirt Division, and in 2004, Head, Joint Armaments Section. In 2007 Rick became the Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG) for Armaments, in the Defence Investment Division. In that post, he was the Vice-Chair of the NATO Main Armament Groups (Naval, Army and Air), led a re-organization of NATO’s 14 agences, and supported the Chair of the Alliance Ground Surveillance Committee. In 2011, Rick became DASG for Operations, responsible for the staff working on Op UNIFIED PROTECTOR (Libya), ISAF & RSM (Afghanistan), KFOR (Kosovo), and Op OCEAN SHIELD (Counter Piracy off the coast of Somalia). He also negotiated Status of Forces Agreements with the African Union and a number of Middle Eastern nations. Rick retired from NATO in 2015, but was called back in 2017 for four months, to be the NATO Senior Civilian in the Core Team for NATO’s training and capacity-building activitie in Iraq.