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 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

Philippines

* Chief of Staff (Philippines), a former position in the

Cabinet of the Philippines The Cabinet of the Philippines ( fil, Gabinete ng Pilipinas, usually referred to as the Cabinet or Gabinete) consists of the heads of the largest part of the executive branch of the national government of the Philippines. Currently, it includes ...

, serving under the

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, 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 * Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

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 * 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 The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

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 (French: , CEMAA) ** Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: , CEMAT) ** Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: , CEMM) ** Chief of Staff of the French Gendarmerie (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 Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is th ...

* Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy * Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force

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 The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) ( ur, ) is, in principle, the highest-ranking and senior most uniformed military officer, typically at four-star rank, in the Pakistan Armed Forces who serves as a Principal Staff Officer and ...

** Chief of Army Staff *** 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 Pre ...

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 The Portuguese Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas) are the military of Portugal. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the other unified bodies and the three service branches: Portuguese Navy, Portuguese Army and Portuguese Air ...

** 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 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 it ...

** Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Portuguese: , CEMFA) - commander of the Portuguese Air Force

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 ...

** Chief of the General Staff, formerly the

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial ...

** 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 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 C ...

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 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 ...

*** 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.". OE ...

(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 *** 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 commands, headed by a

(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 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 (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 rear admiral (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 ...

(O-6) or Navy or Coast Guard captain (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