Commissioned in 1905, Ismay served in India and Africa. After World War I he became assistant secretary (1926–30) and secretary (1938– 40) of the Committee of Imperial Defense but exercised his greatest influence after his appointment, in May 1940, as chief of staff to Churchill in his capacity as minister of defense and his personal representative to the Chiefs of Staff's Committee, positions he retained until 1946. He actively participated in most major inter-Allied conferences throughout World War II, playing a major role in the decision to make Germany the Allies' first-priority target and in the planning for the invasion of France in 1944. He was raised to the peerage in 1947. After renewed service in India (1947), he became secretary of state for Commonwealth relations (1951–52) and secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1952 until his retirement in 1957. He had daughters but no sons, and his barony lapsed upon his death.