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Chief of General Staff
Flag of the Chief of the General Staff
Incumbent General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith since 12 June 2018
Ministry of Defence
Abbreviation	CGS
Member of	Defence Council Army Board
Reports to	Chief of the Defence Staff
Nominator	Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length	No fixed length
Precursor	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Formation	1904, 1964
First holder	Sir Neville Lyttelton
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the General Staff

Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964 the title was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). Since 1959, the post has been immediately subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the post held by the professional head of the British Armed Forces.

The current Chief of the General Staff is General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith – having succeeded his predecessor, General Sir Nick Carter in June 2018.

Background

The title was also used for five years between the demise of the Commander-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 Sir Neville Lyttelton and, briefly, by Field Marshal Sir William Nicholson.

Throughout the existence of the post the Chief of the General Staff has been the First Military Member of the Army Board.^[1]

Roles

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 the with his American counterparts. Was also responsible for the appointment And evaluation of senior commanders, allocation of manpower and equipment and the organization 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 check units reporting to their governments in exile in London. Brooke vigorously allocated responsibilities to see the 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, first David Margesson and later Sir James Grigg. ^[2]

List of chiefs

Chiefs of the General Staff (1904–1909)

№		Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Lyttelton, NevilleGeneral Sir Neville Lyttelton (1845–1931)	12 February 1904	2 April 1908	7003151100000000000♠4 years, 50 days	[3]
2		Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Nicholson (1845–1918)	2 April 1908	22 November 1909	7002599000000000000♠1 year, 234 days	[4]

Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964)

№		Chief of the Imperial General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
2		Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Nicholson (1845–1918)	22 November 1909	15 March 1912	7002844000000000000♠2 years, 114 days	[5]
3		French, JohnField Marshal Sir John French (1852–1925)	15 March 1912	6 April 1914	7002752000000000000♠2 years, 22 days	[6]
4		French, JohnGeneral Sir Charles Douglas (1850–1914)	6 April 1914	25 October 1914 †	7002202000000000000♠202 days	[7]
5		Murray, JamesLieutenant-General Sir James Wolfe Murray (1853–1919)	25 October 1914	26 September 1915	7002519000000000000♠1 year, 154 days	[8]
6		Murray, ArchibaldGeneral Sir Archibald Murray (1860–1945)	26 September 1915	23 December 1915	7001880000000000000♠88 days	[9]
7		Robertson, WilliamGeneral Sir William Robertson (1860–1933)	23 December 1915	19 February 1918	7002789000000000000♠2 years, 58 days	[10]
8		Wilson, HenryField Marshal Sir Henry Wilson (1864–1922)	19 February 1918	19 February 1922	7003146100000000000♠4 years, 0 days	[11]
9		Lambart, RudolphField Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan (1865–1946)	19 February 1922	19 February 1926	7003146100000000000♠4 years, 0 days	[12]
10		Milne, GeorgeField Marshal Sir George Milne (1866–1948)	19 February 1926	19 February 1933	7003255700000000000♠7 years, 0 days	[13]
11		Montgomery, ArchibaldField Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd (1871–1947)	19 February 1933	15 May 1936	7003118100000000000♠3 years, 86 days	[14]
12		Deverell, CyrilField Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell (1874–1947)	15 May 1936	6 December 1937	7002570000000000000♠1 year, 205 days	[15]
13		Vereker, JohnGeneral John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (1886–1946)	6 December 1937	3 September 1939	7002636000000000000♠1 year, 271 days	[16]
14		Ironside, EdmundGeneral Sir Edmund Ironside (1880–1959)	4 September 1939	26 May 1940	7002266000000000000♠266 days	[17]
15		Dill, JohnField Marshal Sir John Dill (1881–1944)	26 May 1940	25 December 1941	7002578000000000000♠1 year, 213 days	[18]
16		Brooke, AlanField Marshal Sir Alan Brooke (1883–1963)	25 December 1941	25 June 1946	7003164300000000000♠4 years, 182 days	[19]
17		Montgomery, BernardField Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976)	26 June 1946	1 November 1948	7002860000000000000♠2 years, 129 days	[19][20]
18		Slim, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Slim (1891–1970)	1 November 1948	1 November 1952	7003146100000000000♠4 years, 0 days	[21]
19		Harding, JohnField Marshal Sir John Harding (1896–1989)	1 November 1952	29 September 1955	7003106200000000000♠2 years, 332 days	[22]
20		Templer, GeraldField Marshal Sir Gerald Templer (1898–1979)	29 September 1955	29 September 1958	7003109600000000000♠3 years, 0 days	[23]
21		Festing, FrancisField Marshal Sir Francis Festing (1902–1976)	29 September 1958	1 November 1961	7003112900000000000♠3 years, 33 days	[24]
22		Hull, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989)	1 November 1961	April 1964	2 years, 5 months	[25][26][27]

Chiefs of the General Staff (1964–present)

№		Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
22		Hull, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989) [a]	April 1964	8 February 1965	10 months	-
23		Cassels, JamesField Marshal Sir James Cassels (1907–1996)	8 February 1965	1 March 1968	7003111700000000000♠3 years, 22 days	[26]
24		Baker, GeoffreyField Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker (1912–1980) [b]	1 March 1968	1 April 1971	7003112600000000000♠3 years, 31 days	[28][29][30]
25		Carver, MichaelField Marshal Sir Michael Carver (1915–2001) [a]	1 April 1971	19 July 1973	7002840000000000000♠2 years, 109 days	[31][29]
26		Hunt, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Hunt (1916–1988) [b]	19 July 1973	15 July 1976	7003109200000000000♠2 years, 362 days	[32][33]
27		Gibbs, RolandField Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs (1921–2004) [b]	15 July 1976	14 July 1979	7003109400000000000♠2 years, 364 days	[34][35]
28		Bramall, EdwinField Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall (born 1923) [a]	14 July 1979	1 August 1982	7003111400000000000♠3 years, 18 days	[36][37][38]
29		Stanier, JohnField Marshal Sir John Wilfred Stanier (1925–2007) [b]	1 August 1982	28 July 1985	7003109200000000000♠2 years, 361 days	[33][39][40]
30		Bagnall, NigelField Marshal Sir Nigel Bagnall (1927–2002)	28 July 1985	10 September 1988	7003114000000000000♠3 years, 44 days	[41]
31		Chapple, JohnField Marshal Sir John Chapple (born 1931)	10 September 1988	14 February 1992	7003125200000000000♠3 years, 157 days	[42]
32		Inge, PeterField Marshal Sir Peter Inge (born 1935) [a][b]	14 February 1992	15 March 1994	7002760000000000000♠2 years, 29 days	[33][43][44]
33		Guthrie, CharlesGeneral Sir Charles Guthrie (born 1938) [a]	15 March 1994	3 February 1997	7003105600000000000♠2 years, 325 days	[44][45]
34		Wheeler, RogerGeneral Sir Roger Wheeler (born 1941) [b]	3 February 1997	17 April 2000	7003116900000000000♠3 years, 74 days	[46][47]
35		Walker, MichaelGeneral Sir Michael Walker (born 1944) [a]	17 April 2000	1 February 2003	7003102000000000000♠2 years, 290 days	[48][49][50]
36		Jackson, MikeGeneral Sir Mike Jackson (born 1944)	1 February 2003	29 August 2006	7003130500000000000♠3 years, 209 days	[51]
37		Dannatt, RichardGeneral Sir Richard Dannatt (born 1950)	29 August 2006	28 August 2009	7003109500000000000♠2 years, 364 days	[52][53]
38		Richards, DavidGeneral Sir David Richards (born 1950) [a]	28 August 2009	15 September 2010	7002383000000000000♠1 year, 18 days	[54][55]
39		Wall, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Wall (born 1955)	15 September 2010	5 September 2014	7003145100000000000♠3 years, 355 days	[56]
40		Carter, NickGeneral Sir Nick Carter (born 1959) [a]	5 September 2014	11 June 2018	7003137500000000000♠3 years, 279 days	[57]
41		Carleton, MarkGeneral Sir Mark Carleton-Smith (born 1964)	11 June 2018	Incumbent	7002231000000000000♠231 days	[58]

See also

• Chief of the Defence Staff


• First Sea Lord / Chief of the Naval Staff


• Chief of the Air Staff


• Deputy Chief of the General Staff

Notes

References

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom).