Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)

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Command flag of the Chief of the Air Staff

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 Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard.jpg Major-General Hugh Trenchard January 3, 1918 (The Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force on April 1, 1918 )
2 Maj Gen Frederick Sykes.jpg Major-General Frederick Sykes April 13, 1918
3 Sir Hugh Trenchard (cropped) .jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Trenchard March 31, 1919 longest serving CAS
4th Sir John Salmond in 1925.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force John Salmond January 1, 1930
5 Sir Geoffrey Salmond.jpg Air Chief Marshal Geoffrey Salmond April 1, 1933 deceased in office, brother of John Salmond
6th Sir John Salmond in 1925.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force John Salmond April 28, 1933 temporarily reactivated
7th Marshal of the RAF Sir Edward Ellington.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Edward Ellington May 22, 1933
8th Air Chief Marshal Sir Cyril Newall (close-up) .jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Newall September 1, 1937
9 MRAF Sir Charles Portal.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Portal October 25, 1940
10 Tedder1943 detail.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur Tedder January 1, 1946
11 Air Marshal Sir John Slessor.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force John Slessor January 1, 1950
12 Air Vice-Marshal Dickson near Venafro, Italy (cropped) .jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force William Dickson January 1, 1953 then Chief of the Defense Staff
13 Dermot Boyle.jpg Marshal of the Royal Air Force Dermot Boyle January 1, 1956
14th Air Marshal Sir Thomas Pike.jpg 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 Sir Richard Johns (cropped) .jpg Air Chief Marshal Richard Johns April 10, 1997
26th Air Chief Marshal Peter Squire April 21, 2000
27 Stirrup in Istanbul.jpg Air Chief Marshal Jock stirrup August 1, 2003 then Chief of the Defense Staff
28 Sir Glen Torpy at the Global Air Chiefs Conference (crop) .jpg Air Chief Marshal Glenn Torpy April 13, 2006
29 Sir Stephen Dalton in Afghanistan.jpg Air Chief Marshal Stephen Dalton July 31, 2009
30th Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford MOD 45155744.jpg Air Chief Marshal Andrew Pulford July 31, 2013
31 Air Marshal Stephen Hillier.jpg 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:

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