A senior Starfleet admiral who commanded Federation forces in the Dominion War.
William Ross is a Starfleet vice admiral in Deep Space Nine, played by Barry Jenkins. During the Dominion War he oversees Starfleet operations in the sector, working closely with Captain Sisko from Starbase 375 and Deep Space Nine on the alliance's war strategy.
He is a pragmatic commander who sends Sisko's crew on dangerous missions and relies heavily on Sisko's judgment, and he is present for several of the key planning decisions of the war.
In Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges, Ross is revealed to be cooperating with Section 31 in a plot to manipulate Romulan politics during a conference on Romulus, arranging for a senator who opposes the Federation alliance to be discredited and for a Section 31 asset to rise in her place. When Bashir confronts him, Ross defends his choice as a wartime necessity, invoking the Latin maxim that laws fall silent in time of war.