Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief of the Defence Staff
Flag of the Chief of the Defence Staff
Badge of the Ministry of Defence
Incumbent Admiral Sir Tony Radakin since 30 November 2021
Ministry of Defence British Armed Forces
Abbreviation	CDS
Member of	Defence Council Chiefs of Staff Committee
Reports to	The Prime Minister Secretary of State for Defence
Nominator	Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Formation	1 January 1959
First holder	Marshal of the RAF Sir William Dickson
Deputy	Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
Website	Official Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tony-radakin

The Chief of the Defence Staff (often called CDS) is the most important military leader in the British Armed Forces. This person is the top uniformed adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The CDS works at the Ministry of Defence. They work closely with the Permanent Under-Secretary, who is the top civil servant in the ministry. The Chief of Defence is the highest-ranking officer currently serving in the armed forces.

While the King or Queen is technically the commander-in-chief, the Government of the United Kingdom actually leads the Armed Forces. They do this through the Ministry of Defence's Defence Council, where the CDS is a key member.

The current Chief of the Defence Staff is Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. He took over the role in November 2021. Chiefs of the Defence Staff are chosen by the Secretary of State for Defence. This choice is then approved by the Prime Minister and finally by the King or Queen.

What Does the Chief of Defence Staff Do?

The Chief of the Defence Staff has several important jobs. These include:

• Leading the defence of the country, working with the Permanent Secretary.
• Creating plans for how the Armed Forces will develop in the future.
• Managing current military operations as the main strategic commander.
• Building strong relationships with the armed forces of other countries.

Who Helps the Chief of Defence Staff?

The CDS has a main helper called the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff. This person is usually from a different part of the military than the CDS.

There are also several Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (DCDS) who help the Vice-Chief. As of 2015, these roles include:

• Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) (DCDS (MSO))
• Chief of Defence People (CDP)
• Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Military Capability (DCDS (Mil Cap))

The CDS works very closely with the Ministry of Defence's Permanent Under Secretary. The CDS focuses on military actions and plans. The Permanent Under Secretary handles the money and daily running of the Ministry.

The CDS also gets advice from a special group called the Strategic Advisory Panel.

How the Role Started

The job of Chief of the Defence Staff was created in 1959. This was because military leaders realized that different parts of the armed forces (like the Army, Navy, and Air Force) needed to work together more closely. This idea became very important during the Second World War.

The first person to hold this job was Marshal of the RAF Sir William Dickson. Before this role existed, the leaders of the three military services took turns leading meetings.

For many years, the job of CDS rotated between the Navy, Army, and Air Force. This changed in the late 1970s.

From 1959 until 1997, the Chief of the Defence Staff would be promoted to the highest possible rank in their service. This meant they could become an Admiral of the Fleet, a Field Marshal, or a Marshal of the Royal Air Force. These are often called "Five-star" ranks.

However, after the Cold War, the British Armed Forces became smaller. So, since 1997, the CDS usually keeps their rank of Admiral, General, or Air Chief Marshal. These are still very high ranks. Sometimes, former Chiefs of Defence Staff are given the "Five-star" rank as an honor after they leave the job.

Past Chiefs of Defence Staff

Here is a list of the people who have served as Chief of the Defence Staff since the role began:

No.	Picture	Chief of the Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Life peerage	Ref
1		Dickson, WilliamMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William Dickson GCB, KBE, DSO, AFC First Chief of the Defence Staff.	1 January 1959	12 July 1959	Royal Air Force	None
2		Mountbatten, LouisAdmiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, ADC A famous naval officer.	13 July 1959	15 July 1965	Royal Navy	Hereditary peerage, Earl Mountbatten of Burma
3		Hull, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Hull GCB, DSO From the Army.	16 July 1965	4 August 1967	British Army	None
4		Elworthy, CharlesMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Elworthy GCB, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC, AFC From the Royal Air Force.	4 August 1967	8 April 1971	Royal Air Force	Baron Elworthy
5		Hill-Norton, PeterAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Hill-Norton GCB From the Royal Navy.	9 April 1971	21 October 1973	Royal Navy	Baron Hill-Norton
6		Carver, MichaelField Marshal Sir Michael Carver GCB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC From the Army.	21 October 1973	24 October 1976	British Army	Baron Carver
7		Humphrey, AndrewMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Andrew Humphrey GCB, OBE, DFC, AFC & Two Bars From the Royal Air Force; died in office.	24 October 1976	24 January 1977	Royal Air Force	None
-		Ashmore, EdwardAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Ashmore GCB, DSC Acting Served as acting CDS.	9 February 1977	30 August 1977	Royal Navy	None
8		Cameron, NeilMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Neil Cameron GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC From the Royal Air Force.	31 August 1977	31 August 1979	Royal Air Force	Baron Cameron of Balhousie
9		Lewin, TerenceAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin GCB, LVO, DSC From the Royal Navy.	1 September 1979	30 September 1982	Royal Navy	Baron Lewin
10		Bramall, EdwinField Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall GCB, OBE, MC From the Army.	1 October 1982	31 October 1985	British Army	Baron Bramall
11		Fieldhouse, JohnAdmiral of the Fleet Sir John Fieldhouse GCB, GBE From the Royal Navy.	1 November 1985	9 December 1988	Royal Navy	Baron Fieldhouse
12		Craig, DavidMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir David Craig GCB, OBE From the Royal Air Force.	9 December 1988	1 April 1991	Royal Air Force	Baron Craig of Radley
13		Vincent, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Vincent GBE, KCB, DSO From the Army.	2 April 1991	31 December 1992	British Army	Baron Vincent of Coleshill
14		Robin Harding, PeterMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Peter Harding GCB From the Royal Air Force.	31 December 1992	13 March 1994	Royal Air Force	None
15		Inge, PeterField Marshal Sir Peter Inge GCB From the Army.	15 March 1994	1 April 1997	British Army	Baron Inge
16		Guthrie, CharlesGeneral Sir Charles Guthrie GCB, LVO, OBE First CDS to hold the rank of General (not Field Marshal) during service.	2 April 1997	15 February 2001	British Army	Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank
17		Boyce, MichaelAdmiral Sir Michael Boyce GCB, OBE From the Royal Navy.	16 February 2001	2 May 2003	Royal Navy	Baron Boyce
18		Walker, MichaelGeneral Sir Michael Walker GCB, CMG, CBE From the Army.	2 May 2003	28 April 2006	British Army	Baron Walker of Aldringham
19		Stirrup, JockAir Chief Marshal Sir Graham "Jock" Stirrup GCB, AFC From the Royal Air Force.	28 April 2006	29 October 2010	Royal Air Force	Baron Stirrup of Marylebone
20		Richards, DavidGeneral Sir David Richards GCB, CBE, DSO From the Army.	29 October 2010	18 July 2013	British Army	Baron Richards of Herstmonceux
21		Houghton, NickGeneral Sir Nicholas Houghton GCB, CBE, ADC From the Army.	18 July 2013	14 July 2016	British Army	Baron Houghton of Richmond
22		Houghton, NickAir Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach GBE, KCB, ADC, DL From the Royal Air Force.	14 July 2016	11 June 2018	Royal Air Force	Baron Peach
23		Houghton, NickGeneral Sir Nicholas Carter GCB, CBE, DSO From the Army.	11 June 2018	30 November 2021	British Army	None
24		Radakin, TonyAdmiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB, ADC The current Chief of the Defence Staff.	30 November 2021	Incumbent	Royal Navy	Incumbent

Timeline of Chiefs of Defence Staff

This timeline shows how long each Chief of the Defence Staff served and which part of the military they came from:

Life After the Job

When a Chief of the Defence Staff retires, they usually receive a special honor. They are given a life peerage, which means they become a member of the House of Lords. This is part of the UK Parliament.

They sit in the House of Lords as non-political crossbench peers. This means they don't belong to a specific political party. The Prime Minister directly suggests these appointments to the King.

See also

• Head of the British Armed Forces

Sources