# Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)

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; he is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of 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 Roland Walker, who succeeded General Sir Patrick Sanders in the role on 15 June 2024.

## Responsibilities

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. The CGS reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and, as a Service COS, has a right of direct access to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister. The CGS 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:
* Maintains the institutional health of the Army by exercising Full Command responsibility for all Army personnel
* Ensures the efficient and effective governance of the service
* Chairs the Executive Committee of the Army Board and the Army Command Group
* Contributes to the conduct of defence higher level business, with a particular responsibility for providing specialist advice on Army matters
* Develops future Army capability within the context of Defence strategic direction and resource allocation
* Leads the senior management team of the British Army

## 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.
Professional heads of the English/British Armed Forces vte :
| | Royal Navy | British Army | Royal Air Force | Combined |
| 1645 | N/A | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces (1645/60–1904, intermittently) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | |
| 1689 | Senior Naval Lord (1689–1771) | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces (1645/60–1904, intermittently) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | |
| 1771 | First Naval Lord (1771–1904) | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces (1645/60–1904, intermittently) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | |
| 1904 | First Sea Lord (1904–1917) | Chief of the General Staff (1904–1909) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | Inter-service co-ordination was carried out from 1904 by the Committee of Imperial Defence under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister |
| 1909 | First Sea Lord (1904–1917) | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | Inter-service co-ordination was carried out from 1904 by the Committee of Imperial Defence under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister |
| 1917 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | N/A. The RAF was formed in 1918 | Inter-service co-ordination was carried out from 1904 by the Committee of Imperial Defence under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister |
| 1918 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | Chief of the Air Staff (1918–present) | Inter-service co-ordination was carried out from 1904 by the Committee of Imperial Defence under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister |
| 1923 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | Chief of the Air Staff (1918–present) | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (1923–1959, held by one of the service heads until 1956) |
| 1959 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1909–1964) | Chief of the Air Staff (1918–present) | Chief of the Defence Staff (1959–present) |
| 1964 | First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1917–present) | Chief of the General Staff (1964–present) | Chief of the Air Staff (1918–present) | Chief of the Defence Staff (1959–present) |

## 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 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, first David Margesson and later, Sir James Grigg.

## Appointees

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. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| Chiefs of the General Staff |||||||
| 1 | Lyttelton, NevilleGeneral Sir Neville Lyttelton (1845–1931) | 12 February 1904 | 2 April 1908 | 4 years, 50 days | |
| 2 | Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Nicholson (1845–1918) | 2 April 1908 | 22 November 1909 | 1 year, 234 days | |
| Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff |||||||
| 2 | Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Nicholson (1845–1918) | 22 November 1909 | 15 March 1912 | 2 years, 114 days | |
| 3 | French, JohnField Marshal Sir John French (1852–1925) | 15 March 1912 | 6 April 1914 | 2 years, 22 days | |
| 4 | French, JohnGeneral Sir Charles Douglas (1850–1914) | 6 April 1914 | 25 October 1914 † | 202 days | |
| 5 | Murray, JamesLieutenant-General Sir James Wolfe Murray (1853–1919) | 25 October 1914 | 26 September 1915 | 1 year, 154 days | |
| 6 | Murray, ArchibaldLieutenant-General Sir Archibald Murray (1860–1945) | 26 September 1915 | 23 December 1915 | 88 days | |
| 7 | Robertson, WilliamGeneral Sir William Robertson (1860–1933) | 23 December 1915 | 19 February 1918 | 2 years, 58 days | |
| 8 | Wilson, HenryField Marshal Sir Henry Wilson (1864–1922) | 19 February 1918 | 19 February 1922 | 4 years | |
| 9 | Lambart, RudolphField Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan (1865–1946) | 19 February 1922 | 19 February 1926 | 4 years | |
| 10 | Milne, GeorgeField Marshal Sir George Milne (1866–1948) | 19 February 1926 | 19 February 1933 | 7 years | |
| 11 | Montgomery, ArchibaldField Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd (1871–1947) | 19 February 1933 | 15 May 1936 | 3 years, 86 days | |
| 12 | Deverell, CyrilField Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell (1874–1947) | 15 May 1936 | 6 December 1937 | 1 year, 205 days | |
| 13 | Vereker, JohnGeneral John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (1886–1946) | 6 December 1937 | 3 September 1939 | 1 year, 271 days | |
| 14 | Ironside, EdmundGeneral Sir Edmund Ironside (1880–1959) | 4 September 1939 | 26 May 1940 | 266 days | |
| 15 | Dill, JohnField Marshal Sir John Dill (1881–1944) | 26 May 1940 | 25 December 1941 | 1 year, 213 days | |
| 16 | Brooke, AlanField Marshal Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke (1883–1963) | 25 December 1941 | 25 June 1946 | 4 years, 182 days | |
| 17 | Montgomery, BernardField Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976) | 26 June 1946 | 1 November 1948 | 2 years, 129 days | |
| 18 | Slim, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Slim (1891–1970) | 1 November 1948 | 1 November 1952 | 4 years | |
| 19 | Harding, JohnField Marshal Sir John Harding (1896–1989) | 1 November 1952 | 29 September 1955 | 2 years, 332 days | |
| 20 | Templer, GeraldField Marshal Sir Gerald Templer (1898–1979) | 29 September 1955 | 29 September 1958 | 3 years | |
| 21 | Festing, FrancisField Marshal Sir Francis Festing (1902–1976) | 29 September 1958 | 1 November 1961 | 3 years, 33 days | |
| 22 | Hull, RichardGeneral Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989) | 1 November 1961 | April 1964 | 2 years, 5 months | |
| Chiefs of the General Staff |||||||
| 22 | Hull, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989) | April 1964 | 8 February 1965 | 10 months | - |
| 23 | Cassels, JamesField Marshal Sir James Cassels (1907–1996) | 8 February 1965 | 1 March 1968 | 3 years, 22 days | |
| 24 | Baker, GeoffreyField Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker (1912–1980) | 1 March 1968 | 1 April 1971 | 3 years, 31 days | |
| 25 | Carver, MichaelField Marshal Sir Michael Carver (1915–2001) | 1 April 1971 | 19 July 1973 | 2 years, 109 days | |
| 26 | Hunt, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Hunt (1916–1988) | 19 July 1973 | 15 July 1976 | 2 years, 362 days | |
| 27 | Gibbs, RolandField Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs (1921–2004) | 15 July 1976 | 14 July 1979 | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 28 | Bramall, EdwinField Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall (1923–2019) | 14 July 1979 | 1 August 1982 | 3 years, 18 days | |
| 29 | Stanier, JohnField Marshal Sir John Stanier (1925–2007) | 1 August 1982 | 28 July 1985 | 2 years, 361 days | |
| 30 | Bagnall, NigelField Marshal Sir Nigel Bagnall (1927–2002) | 28 July 1985 | 10 September 1988 | 3 years, 44 days | |
| 31 | Chapple, JohnField Marshal Sir John Chapple (1931–2022) | 10 September 1988 | 14 February 1992 | 3 years, 157 days | |
| 32 | Inge, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Inge (1935–2022) | 14 February 1992 | 15 March 1994 | 2 years, 29 days | |
| 33 | Guthrie, CharlesGeneral Sir Charles Guthrie (born 1938) | 15 March 1994 | 3 February 1997 | 2 years, 325 days | |
| 34 | Wheeler, RogerGeneral Sir Roger Wheeler (born 1941) | 3 February 1997 | 17 April 2000 | 3 years, 74 days | |
| 35 | Walker, MichaelGeneral Sir Michael Walker (born 1944) | 17 April 2000 | 1 February 2003 | 2 years, 290 days | |
| 36 | Jackson, MikeGeneral Sir Mike Jackson (1944–2024) | 1 February 2003 | 29 August 2006 | 3 years, 209 days | |
| 37 | Dannatt, RichardGeneral Sir Richard Dannatt (born 1950) | 29 August 2006 | 28 August 2009 | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 38 | Richards, DavidGeneral Sir David Richards (born 1952) | 28 August 2009 | 15 September 2010 | 1 year, 18 days | |
| 39 | Wall, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Wall (born 1955) | 15 September 2010 | 5 September 2014 | 3 years, 355 days | |
| 40 | Carter, NickGeneral Sir Nick Carter (born 1959) | 5 September 2014 | 11 June 2018 | 3 years, 279 days | |
| 41 | Carleton, MarkGeneral Sir Mark Carleton-Smith (born 1964) | 11 June 2018 | 13 June 2022 | 4 years, 2 days | |
| 42 | Sanders, PatrickGeneral Sir Patrick Sanders (born 1966) | 13 June 2022 | 15 June 2024 | 2 years, 2 days | |
| 43 | Walker, RolandGeneral Sir Roland Walker (born 1970) | 15 June 2024 | Incumbent | 267 days | |