Chief of the General Staff
Flag of the Chief of the General Staff
Incumbent General Sir Patrick Sanders since 13 June 2022
Ministry of Defence British Army
Abbreviation	CGS
Member of	Defence Council Army Board Chiefs of Staff Committee
Reports to	Chief of the Defence Staff
Nominator	Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	The Monarch On the advice of the Prime Minister, subject to formal approval by the King-in-Council
Term length	No fixed length
Precursor	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Formation	1904, 1964
First holder	Sir Neville Lyttelton
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the General Staff

The 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 Patrick Sanders, who succeeded his predecessor, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, in June 2022. In 2024, he will be replaced by Lieutenant General Sir Roland Walker, who is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.^[1]

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^[2]

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.^[3]

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. ^[4]

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.	Portrait	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	[5]
2		Nicholson, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Nicholson (1845–1918)	2 April 1908	22 November 1909	1 year, 234 days	[6]
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	[7]
3		French, JohnField Marshal Sir John French (1852–1925)	15 March 1912	6 April 1914	2 years, 22 days	[8]
4		French, JohnGeneral Sir Charles Douglas (1850–1914)	6 April 1914	25 October 1914 †	202 days	[9]
5		Murray, JamesLieutenant-General Sir James Wolfe Murray (1853–1919)	25 October 1914	26 September 1915	1 year, 154 days	[10]
6		Murray, ArchibaldLieutenant-General Sir Archibald Murray (1860–1945)	26 September 1915	23 December 1915	88 days	[11]
7		Robertson, WilliamGeneral Sir William Robertson (1860–1933)	23 December 1915	19 February 1918	2 years, 58 days	[12]
8		Wilson, HenryField Marshal Sir Henry Wilson (1864–1922)	19 February 1918	19 February 1922	4 years	[13]
9		Lambart, RudolphField Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan (1865–1946)	19 February 1922	19 February 1926	4 years	[14]
10		Milne, GeorgeField Marshal Sir George Milne (1866–1948)	19 February 1926	19 February 1933	7 years	[15]
11		Montgomery, ArchibaldField Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd (1871–1947)	19 February 1933	15 May 1936	3 years, 86 days	[16]
12		Deverell, CyrilField Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell (1874–1947)	15 May 1936	6 December 1937	1 year, 205 days	[17]
13		Vereker, JohnGeneral John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort (1886–1946)	6 December 1937	3 September 1939	1 year, 271 days	[18]
14		Ironside, EdmundGeneral Sir Edmund Ironside (1880–1959)	4 September 1939	26 May 1940	266 days	[19]
15		Dill, JohnField Marshal Sir John Dill (1881–1944)	26 May 1940	25 December 1941	1 year, 213 days	[20]
16		Brooke, AlanField Marshal Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke (1883–1963)	25 December 1941	25 June 1946	4 years, 182 days	[21]
17		Montgomery, BernardField Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976)	26 June 1946	1 November 1948	2 years, 129 days	[21][22]
18		Slim, WilliamField Marshal Sir William Slim (1891–1970)	1 November 1948	1 November 1952	4 years	[23]
19		Harding, JohnField Marshal Sir John Harding (1896–1989)	1 November 1952	29 September 1955	2 years, 332 days	[24]
20		Templer, GeraldField Marshal Sir Gerald Templer (1898–1979)	29 September 1955	29 September 1958	3 years	[25]
21		Festing, FrancisField Marshal Sir Francis Festing (1902–1976)	29 September 1958	1 November 1961	3 years, 33 days	[26]
22		Hull, RichardGeneral Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989)	1 November 1961	April 1964	2 years, 5 months	[27][28][29]
Chiefs of the General Staff
22		Hull, RichardField Marshal Sir Richard Hull (1902–1989) [a]	April 1964	8 February 1965	10 months	-
23		Cassels, JamesGeneral Sir James Cassels (1907–1996)	8 February 1965	1 March 1968	3 years, 22 days	[28]
24		Baker, GeoffreyGeneral Sir Geoffrey Baker (1912–1980) [b]	1 March 1968	1 April 1971	3 years, 31 days	[30][31][32]
25		Carver, MichaelField Marshal Sir Michael Carver (1915–2001) [a]	1 April 1971	19 July 1973	2 years, 109 days	[33][31]
26		Hunt, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Hunt (1916–1988) [b]	19 July 1973	15 July 1976	2 years, 362 days	[34][35]
27		Gibbs, RolandGeneral Sir Roland Gibbs (1921–2004) [b]	15 July 1976	14 July 1979	2 years, 364 days	[36][37]
28		Bramall, EdwinField Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall (1923–2019) [a]	14 July 1979	1 August 1982	3 years, 18 days	[38][39][40]
29		Stanier, JohnGeneral Sir John Stanier (1925–2007) [b]	1 August 1982	28 July 1985	2 years, 361 days	[35][41][42]
30		Bagnall, NigelGeneral Sir Nigel Bagnall (1927–2002)	28 July 1985	10 September 1988	3 years, 44 days	[43]
31		Chapple, JohnGeneral Sir John Chapple (1931–2022)	10 September 1988	14 February 1992	3 years, 157 days	[44]
32		Inge, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Inge (1935–2022) [a][b]	14 February 1992	15 March 1994	2 years, 29 days	[35][45][46]
33		Guthrie, CharlesGeneral Sir Charles Guthrie (born 1938) [a]	15 March 1994	3 February 1997	2 years, 325 days	[46][47]
34		Wheeler, RogerGeneral Sir Roger Wheeler (born 1941) [b]	3 February 1997	17 April 2000	3 years, 74 days	[48][49]
35		Walker, MichaelGeneral Sir Michael Walker (born 1944) [a]	17 April 2000	1 February 2003	2 years, 290 days	[50][51][52]
36		Jackson, MikeGeneral Sir Mike Jackson (born 1944)	1 February 2003	29 August 2006	3 years, 209 days	[53]
37		Dannatt, RichardGeneral Sir Richard Dannatt (born 1950) [b]	29 August 2006	28 August 2009	2 years, 364 days	[54][55]
38		Richards, DavidGeneral Sir David Richards (born 1952) [a]	28 August 2009	15 September 2010	1 year, 18 days	[56][57]
39		Wall, PeterGeneral Sir Peter Wall (born 1955)	15 September 2010	5 September 2014	3 years, 355 days	[58]
40		Carter, NickGeneral Sir Nick Carter (born 1959) [a]	5 September 2014	11 June 2018	3 years, 279 days	[59]
41		Carleton, MarkGeneral Sir Mark Carleton-Smith (born 1964)	11 June 2018	13 June 2022	4 years, 2 days	[60]
42		Sanders, PatrickGeneral Sir Patrick Sanders (born 1966)	13 June 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 301 days	[61]