honorific_prefix caption serviceyears branch commands awards placeofburial_label honorific_suffix battles birth_date rank image article_title name
general the right honourable general in chicago sir david richards at the 2012 nato summit 1971 -- 2013 united kingdom chief staff international security assistance force allied rapid reaction corps 4th of armoured brigade 3rd royal horse artillery the defence staff chief of the general knight commander of the order of the british empire companion of grand the distinguished service order mentioned in dispatches cross of the order of the bath place of burial gcb gen , cbe , dso , dl , adc the civil war war in afghanistan troubles international force for east timor sierra leone 4 march 1952 general gen. may 20 , 2012.jpg sir david richards at nato summit in chicago david richards , baron richards of herstmonceux
 the lord richards of herstmonceux
david richards , baron richards of herstmonceux

general david julian richards , baron richards of herstmonceux -lrb- born 4 march 1952 -rrb- is a retired senior british army officer who was formerly the chief of the defence staff , the professional head of the british armed forces .
he succeeded air chief marshal sir jock stirrup in this role on 29 october 2010 .
richards served in the far east , germany and northern ireland with the royal artillery before commanding forces in east timor and most notably sierra leone , where his action without official sanctioning protected freetown from rebel attacks during the sierra leone civil war .
richards has also served with nato as a major general , and he commanded international security assistance force elements in southern afghanistan as a lieutenant general between 2006 and 2008 .
richards became commander-in-chief , land forces of the british army in 2008 and held this role until 2009 when he was appointed chief of the general staff , the head of the british army .
he was appointed as chief of the defence staff the following year .
he was succeeded by general sir nicholas houghton on 18 july 2013 .
in 2014 , richards was created a life peer taking the title `` baron richards of herstmonceux '' .
he sits in the house of lords as a crossbencher .
