Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Air Staff (abbreviated CAS ; German: "Chef des Luftstabes") is the military head of the Air Force of the United Kingdom , the Royal Air Force . He is a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Air Force Board and is on a par with the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the General Staff , but below the Chief of the Defense Staff (Chief of the Defense Staff). In terms of budget, he has the rank of Air Chief Marshal . The post has existed since the Royal Air Force was founded during World War I in 1918, 31st and the current incumbent has been Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier since 2016 .
List of incumbents since 1918
# | image | rank | Surname | Date of appointment | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Major-General | Hugh Trenchard | January 3, 1918 | (The Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force on April 1, 1918 ) |
2 | ![]() |
Major-General | Frederick Sykes | April 13, 1918 | |
3 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Hugh Trenchard | March 31, 1919 | longest serving CAS |
4th | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | John Salmond | January 1, 1930 | |
5 | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Geoffrey Salmond | April 1, 1933 | deceased in office, brother of John Salmond |
6th | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | John Salmond | April 28, 1933 | temporarily reactivated |
7th | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Edward Ellington | May 22, 1933 | |
8th | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Cyril Newall | September 1, 1937 | |
9 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Charles Portal | October 25, 1940 | |
10 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Arthur Tedder | January 1, 1946 | |
11 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | John Slessor | January 1, 1950 | |
12 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | William Dickson | January 1, 1953 | then Chief of the Defense Staff |
13 | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Dermot Boyle | January 1, 1956 | |
14th | ![]() |
Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Thomas Pike | January 1, 1960 | |
15th | Air Chief Marshal | Charles Elworthy | September 1, 1963 | then Chief of the Defense Staff | |
16 | Air Chief Marshal | John Grandy | April 1, 1967 | ||
17th | Air Chief Marshal | Denis Spotswood | April 1, 1971 | ||
18th | Air Chief Marshal | Andrew Humphrey | April 1, 1974 | then Chief of the Defense Staff | |
19th | Marshal of the Royal Air Force | Neil Cameron | 7th August 1976 | then Chief of the Defense Staff | |
20th | Air Chief Marshal | Michael Beetham | August 10, 1977 | ||
21st | Air Chief Marshal | Keith Williamson | October 15, 1982 | ||
22nd | Air Chief Marshal | David Craig | October 15, 1985 | then Chief of the Defense Staff | |
23 | Air Chief Marshal | Peter Harding | November 14, 1988 | then Chief of the Defense Staff | |
24 | Air Chief Marshal | Michael Graydon | November 6, 1992 | ||
25th | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Richard Johns | April 10, 1997 | |
26th | Air Chief Marshal | Peter Squire | April 21, 2000 | ||
27 | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Jock stirrup | August 1, 2003 | then Chief of the Defense Staff |
28 | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Glenn Torpy | April 13, 2006 | |
29 | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Stephen Dalton | July 31, 2009 | |
30th | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Andrew Pulford | July 31, 2013 | |
31 | ![]() |
Air Chief Marshal | Stephen Hillier | July 12, 2016 |
In other states
Several Commonwealth countries have taken on the post of Chief of the Air Staff (sometimes referred to differently today), including:
- Australia ( Royal Australian Air Force ; current name: Chief of Air Force )
- Canada ( Royal Canadian Air Force ; current name: Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Chief of the Air Force Staff )
- New Zealand ( Royal New Zealand Air Force ; current name: Chief of Air Force )
- India ( Indian Air Force )
- Pakistan ( Pakistan Air Force )
- Bangladesh ( Bangladesh Air Force )
- Nigeria ( Nigerian Air Force )
Web links
- RAF Organization - Chief of the Air Staff on raf.mod.uk
- Air Council Appointments on rafweb.org