These were:
1957 – 1960 – Lieutenant-General Sir Roderick McLeod
1960 – 1962 – Air Marshal Sir Alfred Earle
1962 – 1964 – Lieutenant-General Sir Denis O’Connor
Note: This single "Deputy Chief" role was redesignated Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff after 1964.
There are currently three people with the post of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (DCDS) at any one time. These are:
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) – the DCDS (Operations) ordinarily reports to the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff but also reports directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff on operational matters
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Training)
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability)
These were:
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments)
1985 – 1987 Vice-Admiral Sir John Woodward
1987 – 1989 Lieutenant-General Sir Antony Walker
1989 – 1992 Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Hayr
1992 – 1995 Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Nicholas Hill-Norton
1995 – 1997 Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Harley
1997 – 2000 Air Marshal Sir John Day
2000 – 2003 Lieutenant-General Sir Anthony Pigott
2003 – 2006 Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Fry
2006 – 2007 Vice-Admiral Charles Style
2007 – 2009 Lieutenant-General Sir Peter Wall
Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations)
2009 – 2011 Lieutenant-General Simon Mayall
2011 – 2013 Lieutenant-General Richard Barrons
2013 – 2014 Lieutenant-General James Everard
2014 – 2016 Lieutenant-General Gordon Messenger
2016 – present Lieutenant-General Mark Carleton-Smith
Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Training) / Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff (People)
These were:
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Programmes and Personnel)
1984 – 1987 Lieutenant-General Sir John Chapple
1987 – 1989 Air Marshal Sir David Parry-Evans
1989 – 1992 Vice-Admiral Sir Barry Wilson
1992 – 1996 Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir Thomas Boyd-Carpenter
1996 – 1999 Air Marshal Sir Peter Squire
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel)
1999 – 2002 Air Marshal Sir Malcolm Pledger
2002 – 2005 Lieutenant-General Anthony Palmer
2005 – 2007 Air Marshal David Pocock
2007 – 2010 Vice-Admiral Peter Wilkinson
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Training)
2010 – 2013 Lieutenant-General Sir William Rollo
Chief of Defence People
2013 – 2016 Lieutenant-General Andrew Gregory
2016 – Present Lieutenant-General Richard Nugee
These were:
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operational Requirements)
1967 – 1968 Air Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler
1968 – 1971 Lieutenant-General Sir Noel Thomas
1971 – 1973 Vice-Admiral Sir Ian McIntosh
1973 – 1976 Air Marshal Sir Michael Giddings
1976 – 1978 Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Cunningham
1978 – 1981 Vice-Admiral Sir Stephen Berthon
1981 – 1983 Lieutenant-General Sir Maurice Johnston
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Systems)
1983 – 1986 Air Marshal Sir Donald Hall
1986 – 1989 Vice-Admiral Sir Jeremy Black
1989 – 1992 Lieutenant-General Sir Anthony Mullens
1992 – 1994 Air Marshal Sir Roger Austin
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability)
1994 – 1995 Vice-Admiral Malcolm Rutherford
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Systems)
1995 – 1997 Vice-Admiral Sir John Dunt
1997 – 1999 Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Burton
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability)
1999 – 2002 Vice-Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham
2002 – 2003 Air Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup
2003 – 2006 Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Fulton
2006 – 2009 Lieutenant-General Andrew Figgures
2009 – 2012 Vice-Admiral Sir Paul Lambert
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability)
2012 – Present Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier
2016 – Lieutenant General Mark Poffley
1964 – 1965 Vice-Admiral Sir Norman Denning
1965 – 1968 Air Marshal Sir Harold Maguire
1968 – 1971 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Fyffe
1971 – 1972 Vice-Admiral Sir Louis Le Bailly
1972 – 1975 Lieutenant-General Sir David Willison
1975 – 1978 Air Marshal Sir Richard Wakeford
1978 – 1981 Vice-Admiral Sir Roy Halliday
1981 – 1983 Lieutenant-General Sir James Glover
1983 – 1984 Air Marshal Sir Michael Armitage
(post discontinued in 1984)
