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 President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

, 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 The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (PS to the PM) is the senior-most bureaucrat in, and the administrative head of, the Prime Minister's Office. The officeholder is generally a civil servant, commonly from the Indian Administ ...

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

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 The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

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 The principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs is the head of the private office of the foreign minister of the His Majesty's Government, and is located in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Main B ...

United States

* Chief of staff, 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 The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces ( militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of 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 (French: , CEMAT) **

Chief of Staff of the French Navy The Chief of the Naval Staff (French: Chef d’état-major de la Marine, acronym: CEMM) is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces for preparing ...

(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 The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army ( id, Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Darat, abbreviated KSAD or KASAD) is the highest position in the Indonesian Army. The position is held by the four-star General appointed by and reporting directly to the ...

* 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 direct ...

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) The Chief of Air Staff ( ur, ) ( reporting name: CAS) is a military appointment and a statutory office held by an Air Chief Marshal in the Pakistan Air Force, who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and final confirmation by the ...

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 The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

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 The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Por ...

** Chief of Staff of the Army (Portuguese: , CEME) - commander of the Portuguese Army ** 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 ** 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

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 The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed F ...

, formerly the Chief of the Imperial General Staff ** Chief of the Air Staff The Sovereign is the Commander-in-Chief. The CDS heads the

Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC) is composed of the most senior military personnel in the British Armed Forces who advise on operational military matters and the preparation and conduct of military operations. The committee consists of the Ch ...

and is assisted by the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.

United States

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and t ...

, 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: a ...

(CJCS) **

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

*** An Army

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

(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 ...

*** An Air Force

(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 command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint command (military formation), military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the ...

s, headed by a

(O-10) or Navy admiral (O-10) ** A

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(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 rega ...

(O-8) overseeing the command's directorates * In military commands headed by a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(O-9), vice admiral (O-9),

(O-8) or

(O-8), or

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

(O-7) or rear admiral, lower half (O-7) ** A

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

(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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chief Of Staff * *

Civilian

Government

Brazil

Canada

India

Nigeria

Pakistan

Philippines

South Korea

Spain

United Kingdom

United States

Military

In general

Azerbaijan

Canada

France

Ghana

Greece

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Pakistan

Philippines

Portugal

Spain

Sri Lanka

United Kingdom

United States

See also

References

External links