Ash Power was born on the 20th of January 1957 in Wangaratta, Victoria. After completing his secondary education at Wangaratta High School, he entered the Royal Military College in 1975, graduating in 1978 into the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. His initial appointment was as a Section Commander in 4th Field Regiment. He further served in 4th Field Regiment as a Gun Position Officer, Assistant Adjutant, Adjutant, Operations Officer (Battery Commander Headquarters Battery) and Commanding Officer.

Ash has commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division and Training Command – Army. He has served on exchange at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, United Kingdom and has had other training appointments at the School of Artillery, and the Royal Military College Duntroon. He also served as the Defence Attaché in Thailand.

On operations Ash deployed to Bougainville on Operation BELISI as Chief of Staff in 1998 and in 1999, after a short period as Chief of Staff Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, was deployed as the Colonel Operations for INTERFET in East Timor. From June 2004 to July 2005 he was appointed as Director, Combined Planning Group, US Central Command, Tampa. He deployed as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Partnering Headquarters International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, Afghanistan in 2010-11.

Lieutenant General Power retired from the Army on 19 July 2014, his final posting being the Chief of Joint Operations.  He and his wife Narelle have two daughters and an increasing number of grandchildren. His leisure interests include reading, fishing, current affairs and sport, particularly playing golf and supporting the Sydney Swans.