Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
| Chief of the Defence Staff | |
|---|---|
Ministry of Defence coat of arms
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Flag of the
Chief of the Defence Staff |
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| Ministry of Defence | |
| Member of |
Defence Council Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| Reports to | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Nominator | Recommendation of Secretary of State for Defence to the Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Approved by the Monarch |
| Formation | 1 January 1959 |
| First holder | Marshal of the RAF Sir William Dickson |
| Deputy | Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff |
| Website | Official Website |
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the British Armed Forces and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister. The Chief of the Defence Staff is based at the Ministry of Defence and works alongside the Permanent Under Secretary, the Ministry's senior civil servant. The Chief of the Defence Staff is the British equivalent position of what in NATO and the European Union is known as the Chief of Defence.
Constitutionally, the Sovereign is the de jure Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. However, in practice, the British Government de facto exercises the royal prerogative and provides direction of the Armed Forces through the Ministry of Defence's Defence Council of which the Chief of the Defence Staff is a member.
The current Chief of the Defence Staff is Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, who succeeded General Sir Nicholas Houghton on 14 July 2016. Chiefs of the Defence Staff are appointed on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Defence to the Prime Minister before being approved by HM The Queen.
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