Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael James Graydon, is a retired Royal Air Force (RAF) officer. He was a fast jet pilot in the 1960s, a squadron commander in the 1970s and a station commander in the 1980s before serving as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command during the Gulf War. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1992 to 1997, in which role he advised the British Government on the implementation of No Fly Zones in Iraq and Bosnia and implemented the Front Line First initiative.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Lester Torpy, is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. He was a fast jet pilot in the late 1970s and 1980s, saw active service during the Gulf War and then went on to higher command. He was the air component commander on Operation Telic and served as Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the RAF, from 2006 to 2009. In that role Torpy hosted the RAF's biggest air display in two decades, and argued for consolidation of all British air power in the hands of the RAF.
Air Marshal Sir Bruce Reid Ferguson, is a retired Royal New Zealand Air Force officer who served as Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau. He took up the appointment when the previous director, Warren Tucker, was appointed as Director of the Security Intelligence Service on 1 November 2006. Ferguson's term of appointment was for four years, stepping down from the role in 2011. Following his retirement, in July 2012, he was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand.
Air Chief Marshal Mark Donald Binskin, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve. He served as Chief of Air Force (2008–11), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2011–14), and Chief of the Defence Force from June 2014 until his retirement in July 2018. In February 2020 he was appointed as a Commissioner and Chairman of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. He is the current chair of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia.
Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach, is a British retired senior Royal Air Force officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Bruggen. He was deployed as NATO Air Commander (Forward) in Kosovo in 2000. He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 2006, Chief of Joint Operations in 2009 and the first Commander of Joint Forces Command in December 2011 before being appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2013. Peach succeeded General Sir Nick Houghton as Chief of the Defence Staff on 14 July 2016. He succeeded General Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on 29 June 2018, serving as such until his retirement from NATO in June 2021.
Martyn John Dunne, is a retired New Zealand Army officer, a diplomat and senior public servant. He was the chief executive of the Ministry for Primary Industries. From 2011 until 2013 he was New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia based in Canberra. He was Comptroller of Customs and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Customs Service (2004–2011) after a career as soldier in the New Zealand Army from 1970 ending his military career in 2004 as Commander Joint Forces New Zealand with the rank of major general. In September 1999, Dunne led the New Zealand Force East Timor during New Zealand's largest deployment since World War II, and as the Senior National Officer and, with the rank of brigadier, commanded the Dili Command, an operational formation in the International Force East Timor, until 2000.
The Chief of Defence Force (CDF) is the appointment held by the professional head of the New Zealand Defence Force. The post has existed under its present name since 1991. From 1963 to 1991 the head of the New Zealand Defence Force was known as the Chief of Defence Staff. All the incumbents have held three-star rank. The current Chief of Defence Force is Air Marshal Tony Davies.
Air Vice Marshal Peter James Stockwell, is a retired senior Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) commander and former Chief of Air Force.
Air Marshal Melvin Ernest Glanville Hupfeld, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Air Commander Australia from 2012 to 2014 and was the acting and final Chief Capability Development Group (2015–16), before being appointed as Head Force Design in the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group (2016–18). He was promoted air marshal and made Chief of Joint Operations in May 2018, and succeeded Air Marshal Leo Davies as Chief of Air Force in July 2019.
Chief of Air Force (CAF) is the most senior appointment in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Defence Force. The post was originally known as the Chief of the Air Staff.
Air Marshal Ramaswamy Rajaram, DFC (1917–1969) was a senior officer in the Indian Air Force. He died in harness while serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
General Angus John Campbell, is a retired senior officer in the Australian Army, who served as the Chief of the Defence Force from 6 July 2018 until 10 July 2024. He was previously posted as Commander Operation Sovereign Borders from September 2013 until he was appointed Chief of Army in May 2015.
Lieutenant General Timothy James Keating is a former New Zealand Army officer and Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force. He was appointed Chief of Defence Force in 2014, immediately following his tenure as Vice Chief of Defence Force. He served as Chief of Army from 2011 to 2012.
Admiral David Lance Johnston, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy. He served as Deputy Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operation Slipper in 2010, Commander Border Protection Command from 2011 to 2013 and, following promotion to vice admiral, was posted as Chief of Joint Operations from 2014 until 2018. Johnston was appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2018. He was promoted to admiral and appointed Chief of the Defence Force on 10 July 2024.
Air Marshal Gavin Neil "Leo" Davies, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A navigator who retrained as a pilot, he joined the RAAF in 1979, commanded No. 1 Squadron RAAF (2002–03) and No. 82 Wing RAAF (2004–05), deployed to Iraq in 2007, and was Australia's air attaché in Washington, D.C. (2010–11). He served as Deputy Chief of Air Force from 2012 to 2015 and succeeded Air Marshal Geoff Brown as Chief of Air Force, the professional head of the RAAF, in July 2015. He retired from the RAAF in July 2019.
The Vice Chief of Defence Force (VCDF) is a senior appointment in the New Zealand Defence Force. The position was established in February 2004 in response to the Review of Accountabilities and Structural Arrangements between the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force undertaken by Don Hunn and reported on in September 2002. Hunn recommended greater integration between top-level military and civil personnel responsible for the command and governance of the New Zealand Defence Force, and suggested the position of VCDF be created to assist the Chief of Defence Force as a chief staff officer. The current VCDF, since 27 August 2024, is Rear Admiral Mat Williams.
Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar KhanNI(C), NI(M), HI(M), SI(M), TI(M), is a retired senior officer and the former 15th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. On 19 March 2018, ACM Anwar took over command of the Pakistan Air Force from his predecessor ACM Sohail Aman.
Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, is a senior Northern Irish Royal Air Force officer, who has been the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff since March 2024. Previously, he served as Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group (2018–2020) and Air and Space Commander (2022–2024). Between February 2020 and August 2022, he took up the new post of Director Space, in the Ministry of Defence.
Air Marshal Robert Timothy Chipman, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF as an aeronautical engineer in 1989 and gained his pilot's wings in 1994. He has commanded No. 75 Squadron RAAF (2006–09), the Air and Space Operations Centre (2010–12), No. 81 Wing RAAF (2013–14) and Air Task Unit 630.1 (2014), and deployed to the Middle East on Operations Slipper and Okra. He served as the Australian Military Representative to NATO and the European Union from 2019 to 2021, Head Military Strategic Commitments from 2021 to 2022 and Chief of Air Force from 2022 to 2024. Chipman took over as the Vice Chief of the Defence Force on 9 July 2024.
Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Robert Webb, is a Royal New Zealand Air Force officer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as head of managed isolation and quarantine from June to December 2020 as part of the New Zealand government's response to the virus. He was appointed Chief of Air Force in October 2023.
