David Richards, Baron Richards of Herstmonceux

The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux
General Sir David Richards at the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago
Born	(1952-03-04) 4 March 1952 (age 65)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1971–2013
Rank	General
Unit	Royal Artillery
Commands held	Chief of the Defence Staff Chief of the General Staff International Security Assistance Force Allied Rapid Reaction Corps 4th Armoured Brigade 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Battles/wars	The Troubles International Force for East Timor Sierra Leone Civil War War in Afghanistan
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in despatches

General David Julian Richards, Baron Richards of Herstmonceux, GCB, CBE, DSO, DL (born 4 March 1952) 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.