The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporting
staff
Staff may refer to:
Pole
* Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting
** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon
* Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position
* Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particula ...
or a primary
aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a
president, or a senior military officer, or leader of a large organization.
In general, a chief of staff provides a buffer between a chief executive and that executive's direct-reporting team. The chief of staff generally works behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before they are brought to the chief executive. Often chiefs of staff act as a confidant and advisor to the chief executive, acting as a sounding board for ideas. Ultimately the actual duties depend on the position and the people involved.
Civilian
Government
Brazil
*
Chief of Staff of the Presidency
Canada
*
Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
*
Principal Secretary
India
*
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India
Nigeria
*
Chief of Staff to the President
Pakistan
*
Principal Secretary to the President
*
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
Philippines
*
Chief of Staff (Philippines), a former position in the
Cabinet of the Philippines, serving under the
President of the Philippines
South Korea
*
Chief Presidential Secretary
The Chief of Staff to the President (), or Chief Presidential Secretary, is the highest-ranking employee of the Blue House and serves as chief of staff to the President of South Korea. The chief presidential secretary is traditionally one of the ...
, chief of staff to the
President of South Korea
Spain
*
Moncloa Chief of Staff
United Kingdom
*
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
*
Downing Street Chief of Staff
*
Cabinet Secretary
*
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a senior official in the United Kingdom Civil Service who acts as principal private secretary to the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is ...
*
Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
United States
*
Chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
, the most senior staff member in the office of a member of the United States Congress
*
White House Chief of Staff
Military
In general, the positions listed below are not "chiefs of staff" as defined at the top of this page; they are the heads of the various forces/commands and tend to have subordinates that fulfill the "chief of staff" roles.
In general
*
Chief of the Defence
*
Chief of the Defence Staff
*
Chief of the General Staff
*
Chief of the Army Staff
*
Chief of the Air Staff
*
Chief of the Naval Staff
*
:Vice chiefs of staff
Azerbaijan
*
Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces - head of General Staff of
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Canada
*
Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)
**
Chief of the Air Staff (Canada)
France
*
Chief of the Defence Staff (French: , CEMA)
**
Chief of Staff of the French Air Force
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
(French: , CEMAA)
**
Chief of Staff of the French Army
The Chief of the Army Staff (french: Chef d'état-major de l'armée de terre, CEMAT) is the military head of the French Army. The chief directs the army staff and acts as the principal advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff on subjects concern ...
(French: , CEMAT)
**
Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: , CEMM)
**
Chief of Staff of the French Gendarmerie
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
(French: , DGGN)
Ghana
*
Chief of Defence Staff
**
Chief of the Army Staff
**
Chief of the Navy Staff
**
Chief of the Air Staff
Greece
*
Chief of the Defence Staff (Greece)
**
Chief of Staff of the Hellenic Air Force
**
Chief of Staff of the Hellenic Army
**
Chief of Staff of the Hellenic Navy
India
*
Chief of Defence Staff (Indian Armed Forces)
**
Chief of the Army Staff (Indian Army)
**
Chief of the Naval Staff (Indian Navy)
**
Chief of the Air Staff (Indian Air Force)
Indonesia
*
Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
*
Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy
*
Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force
The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force ( id, Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Udara, abbreviated KSAU or KASAU) is the highest position in the Indonesian Air Force. The position is held by the four-star Marshal, appointed by and reporting directl ...
Ireland
*
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces
Israel
*
Chief of the Israeli General Staff
Italy
*Chief of the Defence Staff
**
Chief of the Army Staff
**Chief of the Navy Staff
**Chief of the Air Force Staff
Pakistan
*
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
**
Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff or Chief of the Army Staff which is generally abbreviated as COAS is a title commonly used for the appointment held by the most senior staff officer or the chief commander in several nations' armies.
* Chief of Army (Australia ...
***
CGS
**
Chief of Naval Staff
***
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
**
Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
Philippines
*Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, later renamed to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, AFP - exercises command and control over all elements of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Portugal
*
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (
Portuguese: , CEMGFA) - operational commander of the
Portuguese Armed Forces
** Chief of Staff of the Navy (Portuguese: , CEMA) - commander of the
Portuguese Navy
** Chief of Staff of the Army (Portuguese: , CEME) - commander of the
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
** Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Portuguese: , CEMFA) - commander of the
Portuguese Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 1 July
, equipment =
, equipment_label ...
Spain
*
Chief of the Defence Staff
**
Chief of Staff of the Army
**
Chief of Staff of the Navy
**
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Sri Lanka
*
Chief of the Defence Staff (Sri Lanka) - the most senior appointment in the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
**
Chief of Staff of the Army - deputy commander of the
Sri Lankan Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
** Chief of Staff of the Navy - deputy commander of the
Sri Lankan Navy
** Chief of Staff of the Air Force - deputy commander of the
Sri Lankan Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...
United Kingdom
*
Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) - the professional head of the British Armed Forces.
**Chief of the Naval Staff, more commonly called the
First Sea Lord
**
Chief of the General Staff, formerly the
Chief of the Imperial General Staff
**
Chief of the Air Staff
The
Sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
is the Commander-in-Chief. The CDS heads the
Chiefs of Staff Committee and is assisted by the
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.
United States
*
Joint Chiefs of Staff, headed by the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
(CJCS)
**
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
*** An Army
general (O-10) serving as the senior ranking officer within the United States Army, but subordinate to any Army O-10 serving as CJCS or Vice CJCS
**
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...
*** An Air Force
general (O-10) serving as the senior ranking officer within the United States Air Force, but subordinate to any USAF O-10 serving as CJCS or Vice CJCS
* In
unified combatant commands, headed by a
general (O-10) or Navy
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
(O-10)
** A
major general (O-8) or Navy or Coast Guard
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
(O-8) overseeing the command's directorates
* In military commands headed by a
lieutenant general (O-9),
vice admiral (O-9),
major general (O-8) or
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
(O-8), or
brigadier general (O-7) or
rear admiral, lower half (O-7)
** A
colonel (O-6) or Navy or Coast Guard
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
(O-6) overseeing the entire general officer's/flag officer's command staff; in some cases may also be referred to as an ''executive assistant'' or ''executive officer''
*** In some commands and organizations, two officers in pay grade O-6 may be assigned as chief of staff and executive assistant, respectively.
See also
*
Chief of Defence
The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...
*
Chief Secretary (disambiguation)
*
General secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
*
Permanent secretary
A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...
*
Principal Private Secretary
*
Provincial secretary
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Of Staff
*
*