Chief of the General Staff

Chief of the General Staff. The professional head of the British Army, the CGS holds the rank of General, the Army now being too small to warrant the rank of Field Marshal. He may or may not also be the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) depending on appointment, political interference and whether or not it’s the Army’s turn.

CGSs since 2003:

• General Sir Michael Jackson 2003 - 2006 (not the dead pop star, but the PoD)
• General Sir Richard Dannatt 2006 - 2009 (Truly a great squaddies CGS)
• General Sir David Richards (Current holder of the stick to poke the Labour Government)

For more information see the Wikipedia page, whatever a Wikipedia is…