Chief of the Defence Staff (Gallambria)

Chief of the Defence Staff
Crest of the Gallambrian Armed Forces
Ensign of the Chief of the Defence Staff
Incumbent ACM Sir Errol McCormack since 2018
Gallambrian Armed Forces
Abbreviation	CDS
Member of	Defence Council
Reports to	Secretary of State for Defence
Nominator	Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer	Prime Minister with Royal consent and advice
Term length	3 years renewable
Constituting instrument	Defence Act 1890
Formation	1891
First holder	General Sir Spencer Lloyd-Carr
Deputy	Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the Gallambrian Armed Forces and the most senior uniformed military advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister. The Chief of the Defence Staff is based at the Ministry of Defence and works alongside the Permanent Secretary of Defence, the Ministry's senior Civil Servant.

The current Chief of the General Staff is ACM Sir Errol McCormack. He was appointed to the position following the resignation of General Sir Nate Perry-Marsh, when he was appointed as the Senior Military Delegate for Gallambria to TRIDENT. Chiefs of the Defence Staff are appointed on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Defence, to the Prime Minister before being approved by the [[Monarchy of the Kingdom of Gallambria|Monarch.

Supporting and associated posts

The CDS is supported by a deputy, the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS), who normally holds a four-star ranks, usually from a different service to the CDS. There are also several Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (DCDS) posts who support the VCDS. These are:

• Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations)
• Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel)
• Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability)

The CDS maintains a close working relationship with the Secretary of Defence, and they both report to the the Secretary of State for Defence. The CDS focuses on military operations and strategy, while the Secretary of Defence's remit concerns administrative and financial policy.

Timeline