Chief of the Army Staff
| Chief of the Army Staff | |
|---|---|
| Nominator | Minister of State for Defence |
| Appointer | The Sovereign |
| Term length | Three years |
| Inaugural | Frederick Branson |
| Formation | 7 October 1907 |
The Chief of the Army Staff (CAS) (known as the Chief of the General Staff until 1960) is the highest post and professional head of the New Ingrean Army. As head, the Chief of the Army Staff is responsible for the overall command of the army, and reports to the Chief of the Defence Force Staff and the Chiefs of Staff Council, of which he is a member along with the other service chiefs. The CAS is not commander-in-chief of the army, which is a position that is held by the King.
The current Chief of the Army Staff is Lt-General Sir David Emerson-Hill.
History
Initially known as Chief of the General Staff, the office dates to 1907, when it replaced the office of Commander-in-Chief of HM New Ingrea Forces (C-in-C). From the time of it's establishment in 1856, the office of C-in-C had always been vested in the Ingerish Resident Commissioner in his capacity as President of the Executive Council[1]. With the demise of the latter in 1907, a new cabinet-level office of Minister of State for Defence was created to assume control over the Defence Force. A new office was therefore required to assume the role of professional head of the Army, leading to the formation of the office of Chief of the General Staff on the 7 October. The first CGS was Lt-General Frederick Branson.
Function and role
The Chief of the Army Staff is the only three-star officer in the New Ingrean Army. Appointments to the position of the CAS are, like the other service chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS), for a three year term. However, unlike the CDFS, convention allows for the appointment to be renewed for an additional three years if merited or required. The change of command occurs on the first Monday in May.
Chiefs of the Army Staff
| # | Name (Birth–Death) |
In office | Duration | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick Branson | 1907-1910 | ||
| 2 | 1910-1914 | |||
| 3 | 1914-1916 | |||
| 4 | 1916-1919 | |||
| 5 | 1919-1922 | |||
| 6 | 1922-1924 | |||
| 7 | 1924-1927 | |||
| 8 | 1927-1930 | |||
| 9 | 1930-1933 | |||
| 10 | 1933-1935 | |||
| 11 | 1935-1937 | |||
| 12 | 1937-1938 | |||
| 13 | 1938 | |||
| 14 | 1938-1944 | |||
| 15 | 1944-1946 | |||
| 16 | 1946-1949 | |||
| 17 | 1949-1951 | |||
| 18 | 1951-1955 | |||
| 19 | 1955-1958 | |||
| 20 | 1958-1960 | |||
| 21 | ||||
| 22 | Paul Tilley | 1980-1983 | ||
| 23 | Kingsley Shaw | 1983-1986 | ||
| 24 | David Lamb | 1986-1989 | ||
| 25 | Thomas Hutchinson | 1989-1995 | ||
| 26 | Oliver Monckton | 1995-1998 | ||
| 27 | David Huckstep | 1998-2000 | ||
| 28 | Paul Hayes | 2000-2003 | ||
| 29 | Lt-General Sir Stephen Robertson | 2003-2006 | ||
| 30 | Lt-General Sir Christopher West | 2006-2009 | ||
| 31 | Lt-General Sir Giles Flower | 2009-2012 | ||
| 32 | Lt-General Sir David Emerson-Hill (Born 29 December 1957) |
7 May 2012 – 2015 |  Geoffrey VII | |
| 33 | Lt-General Sir David Ellis | 2015-2018 | ||
| 34 | Lt-General Sir Ivan Davies | 2018-2021 | ||
| 35 | Lt-General Sir Peter Booth | 2021-Present | Incumbent |
References and notes
- ↑ The two offices were always held to be legally separate, and could in theory have been held by different people. However, no Resident Commissioner ever delegated the command of the Defence Force to a junior minister.