Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff is the title of a senior officer in the British Armed Forces who reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.

Early Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff

These were:

  • 1957 – 1960 – Lieutenant-General Sir Roderick McLeod
  • 1960 – 1962 – Air Marshal Sir Alfred Earle
  • 1962 – 1964 – Lieutenant-General Sir Denis O’Connor

Note: This single "Deputy Chief" role was redesignated Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff after 1964.

  • Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations)
  • Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Capability)
  • Chief of Defence People

Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations)

In 1989–91, the Defence Operations Executive, led by the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) and including the Assistant Chiefs of the Naval, General, and Air Staffs, supervised the Joint Operations Centre which in turn passed orders to the forces in Cyprus, Belize, the Falklands, and Hong Kong. These commands consisted of units of all three services and were commanded by one or 2-star rank flag officers. Commander British Forces (CBF) British Forces Cyprus was a rotational post between the Army and RAF, at two-star level; CBF British Forces Belize was an Army brigadier; CBF Falklands was a rotational post between all three services at two-star level; and CBF Hong Kong was an Army major general.

These were:

  • 2024 – 2025 Air Marshal Harv Smyth
  • 2025 – present Lieutenant General Sir Charles Collins

Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Training) / Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (People) / Chief of Defence People

These were:

  • 2025 – 2025 Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan
  • 2025 – present Air Marshal Tim Jones

Discontinued arrangements

Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Intelligence)

  • 1964 – 1965 Vice-Admiral Sir Norman Denning
  • 1965 – 1968 Air Marshal Sir Harold Maguire
  • 1968 – 1971 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Fyffe
  • 1971 – 1972 Vice-Admiral Sir Louis Le Bailly
  • 1972 – 1975 Lieutenant-General Sir David Willison
  • 1975 – 1978 Air Marshal Sir Richard Wakeford
  • 1978 – 1981 Vice-Admiral Sir Roy Halliday
  • 1981 – 1983 Lieutenant-General Sir James Glover
  • 1983 – 1984 Air Marshal Sir Michael Armitage

(post discontinued in 1984; taken over by Chief of Defence Intelligence)

References