Napoleon Yaovi Richard Ashley-Lassen was a Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Chief of Air Staff of the Ghana Air Force, and a member of the National Redemption Council.

He was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1934.

He worked as a pilot ferrying Ghanaian troops to and from during the United Nations peacekeeping exercise there.

In 1968, he was appointed Chief of Air Staff when the National Liberation Council military government was in power but served briefly from December 1971 to January 1972.

Napoleon Ashley-Lassen was appointed as the Chief of the Defence Staff after the overthrow of the Busia government and worked in this capacity till December 1974. He was also appointed a member of the ruling National Redemption Council military government following the coup d'état led by then Colonel Acheampong on 13 January 1972.

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