The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the British Armed Forces and the principal military adviser to the British Government. Formally, the British Monarch is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and therefore is senior to the CDS. In practice the Government provide direction through the Defence Council of which the CDS is a member. The post was created in 1959 to reflect the new conceptions of joint operations that had come to the fore in World War II. Prior to the creation of the post, one of the three members of the Chiefs of Staff Committee was appointed chairman. From the creation of the post until 1997, the Chief of the Defence Staff was appointed to the highest rank in the branch of the British armed forces to which he belonged, being an Admiral of the Fleet, a Field Marshal or Marshal of the Royal Air Force, (NATO rank code OF-10). However, with the post-Cold War size of the British Armed Forces and the reasoning that no new Field Marshals are to be routinely appointed in peacetime, since 1997 the Chief of the Defence Staff has been appointed at the rank of Admiral, General or Air Chief Marshal, (NATO OF-9). The current Chief of the Defence Staff is Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup who succeeded General Sir Michael Walker on 28 April 2006. [edit] Chiefs of the Defence Staff  Sir William Dickson, the first CDS  Lord Mountbatten, the longest serving CDS  Sir Peter Inge, the last 5 star CDS - Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William Dickson GCB, KBE, DSO, AFC (1 January 1959-16 July 1959)[1]
- Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO (13 July 1959-15 July 1965)
- Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull KG, GCB, DSO (16 July 1965-4 August 1967)
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Elworthy KG, GCB, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC, AFC (7 August 1967-8 April 1971)
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Hill-Norton GCB (9 April 1971-21 October 1973)
- Field Marshal Sir Michael Carver GCB, CBE, DSO, MC (22 October 1973-23 October 1976)
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Andrew Humphrey GCB, OBE, DFC, AFC (24 October 1976-24 January 1977)
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Ashmore GCB, DSC (9 February 1977-30 August 1977)
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Neil Cameron KT, GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC (31 August 1977-31 August 1979)
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin KG, GCB, LVO, DSC (1 September 1979-30 September 1982)
- Field Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC (1 October 1982-31 October 1985)
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Fieldhouse GCB, GBE (1 November 1985-9 December 1988)
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir David Craig GCB, OBE (9 December 1988-1 April 1991)
- Field Marshal Sir Richard Vincent GBE, KCB, DSO (2 April 1991-31 December 1992)
- Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Peter Harding GCB (1 January 1993-13 March 1994)
- Field Marshal Sir Peter Inge KG, GCB (14 March 1994-1 April 1997)
- General Sir Charles Guthrie GCB, LVO, OBE (2 April 1997-15 February 2001)
- Admiral Sir Michael Boyce GCB, OBE (16 February 2001-2 May 2003)
- General Sir Michael Walker GCB, CMG, CBE (4 May 2003- 28 April 2006)
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup GCB, AFC (28 April 2006 - )
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