# Chief of the Defence Staff (Lithuania)

Chief of the Defence Staff is the head of the Lithuanian Defence Staff responsible for the administrative, operational, and logistical needs of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

## List of chiefs
### Chiefs of the General Staff (1918–1940)

| No. | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | KubiliusColonel (pulkininkas) Jurgis Kubilius [lt] (1875–1961) | 23 November 1918 | 24 December 1918 | 30 days |
| 2 | LiatukasKarininkas Pranas Liatukas (1876–1945) | 24 December 1918 | 4 March 1919 | 70 days |
| | AdamkaviciusKarininkas Edvardas Adamkavičius (1888–1957) Acting | 4 March 1919 | 26 March 1919 | 22 days |
| 3 | ZukauskasGeneral Silvestras Žukauskas (1860–1937) | 26 April 1919 | 27 May 1919 | 31 days |
| 4 | VelykisKarininkas Mykolas Velykis [lt] (1884–1955) | 26 May 1919 | 7 October 1919 | 131 days |
| 5 | NastopkaLieutenant General Stasys Nastopka (1881–1939) | 7 October 1919 | 13 July 1920 | 280 days |
| 6 | KatcheLieutenant General Maksimas Katche (1879–1933) | 13 July 1920 | 21 August 1920 | 39 days |
| | BirontasMajor Adolfas Birontas [lt] (1885–1958) Acting | 21 August 1920 | 23 August 1920 | 2 days |
| 7 | KlescinskisColonel Konstantinas Kleščinskis (1879–1927) | 23 August 1920 | 13 April 1921 | 233 days |
| 8 | KatcheLieutenant General Maksimas Katche (1879–1933) | 13 April 1921 | 7 October 1922 | 1 year, 177 days |
| | GriciusMajor Jonas Gricius [lt] (1884–1963) Acting | 7 October 1922 | 6 November 1923 | 1 year, 30 days |
| 9 | RadusGeneral Leonas Radus-Zenkavičius [lt] (1874–1946) | 6 November 1923 | 29 February 1924 | 115 days |
| | GriciusLieutenant colonel Jonas Gricius [lt] (1884–1963) Acting | 29 February 1924 | 7 May 1925 | 1 year, 68 days |
| 10 | LadigaColonel of the General Staff Kazys Ladiga (1893–1941) | 7 May 1925 | 16 September 1925 | 132 days |
| | GriciusLieutenant colonel Jonas Gricius [lt] (1884–1963) Acting | 16 September 1925 | 19 October 1925 | 33 days |
| 11 | LadigaLieutenant general Kazys Ladiga (1893–1941) | 19 October 1925 | 22 June 1926 | 246 days |
| 12 | SkirpaLieutenant colonel of the General Staff Kazys Škirpa (1895–1979) | 22 June 1926 | 24 December 1926 | 185 days |
| 13 | DaukantasColonel Teodoras Daukantas (1884–1960) | 24 December 1926 | 11 August 1927 | 230 days |
| 14 | PlechaviciusColonel of the General Staff Povilas Plechavičius (1890–1973) | 11 August 1927 | 10 February 1929 | 1 year, 183 days |
| 15 | KubiliunasLieutenant general Petras Kubiliūnas (1894–1946) | 10 February 1929 | 7 June 1934 | 5 years, 117 days |
| 16 | JackusLieutenant general Jonas Jackus [lt] (1894–1977) | 7 June 1934 | 21 September 1934 | 106 days |
| 17 | RastikisLieutenant colonel of the General Staff Stasys Raštikis (1896–1985) | 21 September 1934 | 1 January 1935 | 102 days |
| 18 | CerniusColonel of the General Staff Jonas Černius (1898–1977) | 1 January 1935 | 30 March 1939 | 4 years, 88 days |
| 19 | PundzeviciusDivisional general Stasys Pundzevičius (1893–1980) | 1 April 1939 | 15 June 1940 | 1 year, 75 days |

### Chiefs of the Defence Staff (since 1990)

| No. | Chief of the General Satff | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | VidrinskasColonel Norbertas Vidrinskas | 21 May 1991 | 3 February 1992 | 258 days |
| 2 | TutkusColonel Valdas Tutkus (born 1960) | 3 February 1992 | 1 February 1993 | 364 days |
| 3 | KnezysColonel Stasys Knezys (1948–2011) | 1 February 1993 | 3 January 1994 | 336 days |
| 4 | TutkuColonel Valdas Tutkus (born 1960) | 3 January 1994 | 1 November 1996 | 2 years, 303 days |
| 5 | JurgaitisColonel Antanas Jurgaitis [lt] (born 1957) | 4 November 1996 | 17 March 2003 | 6 years, 133 days |
| 6 | VaiksnorasMajor general Vitalijus Vaikšnoras [lt] (born 1961) | 24 April 2003 | 30 June 2008 | 5 years, 67 days |
| 7 | VaiceliunasAlgis Vaičeliūnas [lt] (born 1961) | 23 April 2008 | 29 June 2011 | 3 years, 67 days |
| 8 | TamosaitisBrigade general Vilmantas Tamošaitis [lt] (born 1966) | 29 June 2011 | 16 August 2016 | 5 years, 48 days |
| 9 | VaiksnorasMajor general Vitalijus Vaikšnoras [lt] (born 1961) | 16 August 2016 | 29 July 2019 | 2 years, 344 days |
| 10 | ZenkeviciusBrigade general Gintautas Zenkevičius (1962–2021) | 29 July 2019 | 25 September 2020 | 1 year, 57 days |
| 11 | SteponaviciusBrigade general Mindaugas Steponavičius (born 1974) | 25 September 2020 | Incumbent | 4 years, 157 days |