The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is 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. The chief of the defence staff 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 Chief of Defence is the highest ranking officer to currently serve in the armed forces.
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.
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Royds Pownall, was a senior British Army officer who held several command and staff positions during the Second World War. In particular, he was chief of staff to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Belgium until the battle of France in May/June 1940. He was later chief of staff to General Sir Archibald Wavell until the fall of Singapore in February 1942, and was then chief of staff to Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten in South East Asia in 1943–1944.
The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the Household Division of the British Army and is also the General Officer Commanding London District. In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-General commanding the Household Division. The Major-General has sole responsibility for the Service aspect of all State and ceremonial occasions within London District. The office holds executive command of the Household Division and of any other units brought into London for providing military security to the Sovereign, the Royal Palaces as well as for ceremonial purposes and is the main channel of communication between the Household Division and the Monarch. He or she is appointed by The Sovereign, and will previously have commanded a Regiment or Battalion within the Household Division.
General Francis Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, is a retired senior British Army officer and member of the House of Lords. He was Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009.
General Sir James Newton Rodney Moore,, usually known as Sir Rodney Moore, was a senior British Army officer. He fought in the Second World War and Palestine Emergency, and was General Officer Commanding London District from 1957 to 1959. Moore was appointed the inaugural Chief of Malaysian Armed Forces Staff from 1959 to 1965, a post he occupied during the final stages of the Malayan Emergency and early period of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. His final posting was as Defence Services Secretary from 1964 to 1966.
General Sir David William Fraser, was a senior British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1978 until his retirement from military service in 1980. He was also a prolific author, publishing over 20 books mostly focused on the history of the Second World War.
General Sir Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne, was a senior British Army officer who served in the First and Second World Wars, where he commanded the 48th Infantry Division during the Battle of France in mid-1940.
Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Francis Drewry, is a retired senior officer of the British Army who served as commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps from 2000 to 2002.
General Sir Thomas Cecil Hook Pearson, was a senior officer of the British Army who served as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe from 1972 to 1974. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living British full general.
General Sir Antony Kenneth Frederick Walker, was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1990 to 1992.
Lieutenant General Sir John Gordon Lorimer, is a retired senior British Army officer, who served as the Chief of Joint Operations and the Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East and North Africa. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man on 29 September 2021.
Lieutenant General Sir George Pemberton Ross Norton, is a retired British Army officer. He was the UK Military Representative to NATO from 2016 to 2020, and has served as the Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies since 2020.
General Sir Mark Alexander Popham Carleton-Smith, is a senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff from June 2018 to June 2022. He previously served as Director Special Forces and commanded 22 Special Air Service Regiment.
General Sir Timothy Buchan Radford, is a retired British Army officer who served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Deputy Commander Resolute Support Mission.
The 1908 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 28 June, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII.
General Sir Patrick Nicholas Yardley Monrad Sanders,, is a senior British Army officer serving as Chief of the General Staff since June 2022.
Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Robert Macrae Borton,, is a senior British Army officer, who currently serves as commander of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
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.
Lieutenant General Dame Sharon Patricia Moffat Nesmith is a senior British Army officer. She has been Deputy Chief of the General Staff since August 2022. She became the first woman to command a British Army brigade in 2014, the first woman to command a British division-level formation in 2021, and the first woman to be promoted to lieutenant general in the British Army in 2022.
