| Chief of the General Staff | |
|---|---|
Flag of the CGS | |
since 15 June 2024 | |
| Ministry of Defence British Army | |
| Style | General |
| Abbreviation | CGS |
| Member of | Defence Council Army Board Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| Reports to | Chief of the Defence Staff |
| Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Appointer | The Monarch On the advice of the Prime Minister |
| Term length | No fixed length |
| Precursor | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces |
| Formation | 1904, 1964 |
| First holder | SirNeville Lyttelton |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief of the General Staff |
| Website | Official website |
Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of theBritish Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both theChiefs of Staff Committee and theArmy Board; he is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title wasChief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). Since 1959, the post has been immediately subordinate to theChief of the Defence Staff, the post held by the professional head of theBritish Armed Forces.
The current Chief of the General Staff is GeneralSir Roland Walker, who succeeded GeneralSir Patrick Sanders in the role on 15 June 2024.[1]
The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is the professional head of the Army, with responsibility for developing and generating military capability from an integrated Army (Regular and Reserve) and for maintaining the fighting effectiveness, efficiency and morale of the Service. TheCGS reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and, as a ServiceCOS, has a right of direct access to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister. TheCGS is a member of the Defence Council and the Army Board, the Armed Forces Committee, the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Senior Appointments Committee. Responsibile for:
The title was also used for five years between the demise of theCommander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1904 and the introduction of Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1909. The post was then held by General SirNeville Lyttelton and, briefly, by Field MarshalSir William Nicholson.
Throughout the existence of the post the Chief of the General Staff has been the First Military Member of theArmy Board.[3]
| Royal Navy | British Army | Royal Air Force | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1645 | N/A | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces (1645/60–1904, intermittently) | Not established | |
| 1689 | Senior Naval Lord (1689–1771) | |||
| 1771 | First Naval Lord (1771–1904) | |||
| 1904 | First Sea Lord (1904–1917) | Chief of the General Staff (1904–1909) | Inter-service co-ordination was carried out from 1904 by theCommittee of Imperial Defence under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister | |
| 1909 | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | |||
| 1917 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | |||
| 1918 | Chief of the Air Staff (1918–present) | |||
| 1923 | Chairman of theChiefs of Staff Committee (1923–1959, held by one of the service heads until 1956) | |||
| 1959 | Chief of the Defence Staff (1959–present) | |||
| 1964 | Chief of the General Staff (1964–present) |
The Chief was responsible for commanding the entire British Army. During the Second World War, General Brooke focused on grand strategy, and his relationships, through the Combined Chiefs of Staff with his American counterparts. He was also responsible for the appointment and evaluation of senior commanders, allocation of manpower and equipment, and the organisation of tactical air forces in support of land operations of field commanders; he also had primary responsibility for supervising the military operations of the Free French, Polish, Dutch, Belgian, and Czech units reporting to their governments in exile in London. Brooke vigorously allocated responsibilities to his deputies, and despite the traditional historical distrust that had existed between the military and the political side of the War Office, he got along quite well with his counterpart, the Secretary of State for War, firstDavid Margesson and later, SirJames Grigg.[4]
The following table lists all those who have held the post of Chief of the General Staff or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs of the General Staff | ||||||
| 1 | Lyttelton, NevilleGeneral SirNeville Lyttelton (1845–1931) | 12 February 1904 | 2 April 1908 | 4 years, 50 days | [5] | |
| 2 | Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal SirWilliam Nicholson (1845–1918) | 2 April 1908 | 22 November 1909 | 1 year, 234 days | [6] | |
| Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff | ||||||
| 2 | Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal SirWilliam Nicholson (1845–1918) | 22 November 1909 | 15 March 1912 | 2 years, 114 days | [7] | |
| 3 | French, JohnField Marshal SirJohn French (1852–1925) | 15 March 1912 | 6 April 1914 | 2 years, 22 days | [8] | |
| 4 | French, JohnGeneral SirCharles Douglas (1850–1914) | 6 April 1914 | 25 October 1914 † | 202 days | [9] | |
| 5 | Murray, JamesLieutenant General SirJames Wolfe Murray (1853–1919) | 25 October 1914 | 26 September 1915 | 1 year, 154 days | [10] | |
| 6 | Murray, ArchibaldLieutenant-General SirArchibald Murray (1860–1945) | 26 September 1915 | 23 December 1915 | 88 days | [11] | |
| 7 | Robertson, WilliamGeneral SirWilliam Robertson (1860–1933) | 23 December 1915 | 19 February 1918 | 2 years, 58 days | [12] | |
| 8 | Wilson, HenryField Marshal SirHenry Wilson (1864–1922) | 19 February 1918 | 19 February 1922 | 4 years | [13] | |
| 9 | Lambart, RudolphField Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan (1865–1946) | 19 February 1922 | 19 February 1926 | 4 years | [14] | |
| 10 | Milne, GeorgeField Marshal SirGeorge Milne (1866–1948) | 19 February 1926 | 19 February 1933 | 7 years | [15] | |
| 11 | Montgomery, ArchibaldField Marshal SirArchibald Montgomery-Massingberd (1871–1947) | 19 February 1933 | 15 May 1936 | 3 years, 86 days | [16] | |
| 12 | Deverell, CyrilField Marshal SirCyril Deverell (1874–1947) | 15 May 1936 | 6 December 1937 | 1 year, 205 days | [17] | |
| 13 | Vereker, JohnGeneral John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (1886–1946) | 6 December 1937 | 3 September 1939 | 1 year, 271 days | [18] | |
| 14 | Ironside, EdmundGeneral SirEdmund Ironside (1880–1959) | 4 September 1939 | 26 May 1940 | 266 days | [19] | |
| 15 | Dill, JohnField Marshal SirJohn Dill (1881–1944) | 26 May 1940 | 25 December 1941 | 1 year, 213 days | [20] | |
| 16 | Brooke, AlanField Marshal Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke (1883–1963) | 25 December 1941 | 25 June 1946 | 4 years, 182 days | [21] | |
| 17 | Montgomery, BernardField Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976) | 26 June 1946 | 1 November 1948 | 2 years, 129 days | [21][22] | |
| 18 | Slim, WilliamField Marshal SirWilliam Slim (1891–1970) | 1 November 1948 | 1 November 1952 | 4 years | [23] | |
| 19 | Harding, JohnField Marshal SirJohn Harding (1896–1989) | 1 November 1952 | 29 September 1955 | 2 years, 332 days | [24] | |
| 20 | Templer, GeraldField Marshal SirGerald Templer (1898–1979) | 29 September 1955 | 29 September 1958 | 3 years | [25] | |
| 21 | Festing, FrancisField Marshal SirFrancis Festing (1902–1976) | 29 September 1958 | 1 November 1961 | 3 years, 33 days | [26] | |
| 22 | Hull, RichardGeneral SirRichard Hull (1902–1989) | 1 November 1961 | April 1964 | 2 years, 5 months | [27][28][29] | |
| Chiefs of the General Staff | ||||||
| 22 | Hull, RichardField Marshal SirRichard Hull (1902–1989) [a] | April 1964 | 8 February 1965 | 10 months | - | |
| 23 | Cassels, JamesField Marshal SirJames Cassels (1907–1996) | 8 February 1965 | 1 March 1968 | 3 years, 22 days | [28] | |
| 24 | Baker, GeoffreyField Marshal SirGeoffrey Baker (1912–1980) [b] | 1 March 1968 | 1 April 1971 | 3 years, 31 days | [30][31][32] | |
| 25 | Carver, MichaelField Marshal SirMichael Carver (1915–2001) [a] | 1 April 1971 | 19 July 1973 | 2 years, 109 days | [33][31] | |
| 26 | Hunt, PeterGeneral SirPeter Hunt (1916–1988) [b] | 19 July 1973 | 15 July 1976 | 2 years, 362 days | [34][35] | |
| 27 | Gibbs, RolandField Marshal SirRoland Gibbs (1921–2004) [b] | 15 July 1976 | 14 July 1979 | 2 years, 364 days | [36][37] | |
| 28 | Bramall, EdwinField Marshal SirEdwin Bramall (1923–2019) [a] | 14 July 1979 | 1 August 1982 | 3 years, 18 days | [38][39][40] | |
| 29 | Stanier, JohnField Marshal SirJohn Stanier (1925–2007) [b] | 1 August 1982 | 28 July 1985 | 2 years, 361 days | [35][41][42] | |
| 30 | Bagnall, NigelField Marshal SirNigel Bagnall (1927–2002) | 28 July 1985 | 10 September 1988 | 3 years, 44 days | [43] | |
| 31 | Chapple, JohnField Marshal SirJohn Chapple (1931–2022) | 10 September 1988 | 14 February 1992 | 3 years, 157 days | [44] | |
| 32 | Inge, PeterGeneral SirPeter Inge (1935–2022) [a][b] | 14 February 1992 | 15 March 1994 | 2 years, 29 days | [35][45][46] | |
| 33 | Guthrie, CharlesGeneral SirCharles Guthrie (1938–2025) [a] | 15 March 1994 | 3 February 1997 | 2 years, 325 days | [46][47] | |
| 34 | Wheeler, RogerGeneral SirRoger Wheeler (born 1941) [b] | 3 February 1997 | 17 April 2000 | 3 years, 74 days | [48][49] | |
| 35 | Walker, MichaelGeneral SirMichael Walker (born 1944) [a] | 17 April 2000 | 1 February 2003 | 2 years, 290 days | [50][51][52] | |
| 36 | Jackson, MikeGeneral SirMike Jackson (1944–2024) | 1 February 2003 | 29 August 2006 | 3 years, 209 days | [53] | |
| 37 | Dannatt, RichardGeneral SirRichard Dannatt (born 1950) [b] | 29 August 2006 | 28 August 2009 | 2 years, 364 days | [54][55] | |
| 38 | Richards, DavidGeneral SirDavid Richards (born 1952) [a] | 28 August 2009 | 15 September 2010 | 1 year, 18 days | [56][57] | |
| 39 | Wall, PeterGeneral SirPeter Wall (born 1955) | 15 September 2010 | 5 September 2014 | 3 years, 355 days | [58] | |
| 40 | Carter, NickGeneral SirNick Carter (born 1959) [a] | 5 September 2014 | 11 June 2018 | 3 years, 279 days | [59] | |
| 41 | Carleton, MarkGeneral SirMark Carleton-Smith (born 1964) | 11 June 2018 | 13 June 2022 | 4 years, 2 days | [60] | |
| 42 | Sanders, PatrickGeneral SirPatrick Sanders (born 1966) | 13 June 2022 | 15 June 2024 | 2 years, 2 days | [61] | |
| 43 | Walker, RolandGeneral SirRoland Walker (born 1970) | 15 June 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 162 days | [1] | |