Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
| Chief of the Defence Staff | |
|---|---|
since 2 September 2025 | |
| Ministry of Defence British Armed Forces | |
| Abbreviation | CDS |
| Member of | Defence Council Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister Secretary of State for Defence |
| Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Appointer | The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Formation | 1 January 1959 |
| First holder | Marshal of the RAF Sir William Dickson |
| Deputy | Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff |
| Website | Official website |
Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the title of 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 of the United Kingdom, and also meets regularly with the monarch. The CDS is based at the Ministry of Defence and works alongside the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the ministry's senior civil servant. The CDS is the highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the armed forces.
Constitutionally, the sovereign is the de jure commander-in-chief of the armed forces. However, in practice, the Government of the United Kingdom exercises the royal prerogative de facto and provides direction of the armed forces through the Ministry of Defence's Defence Council, of which the CDS is a member.
The current CDS is Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who succeeded Admiral Sir Tony Radakin in September 2025. 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 the monarch.