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Chief of the Defence Force Staff
The Chief of the Defence Force Staff or CDFS is is the most senior appointment in the New England Defence Force or NEDF. The CDFS commands the NEDF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, and and jointly manages the Defence Establishment under a diarchy with the Permanent Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Ministry of Defence. The current CDFS is Admiral Sir Francis King from the Royal New England Navy.
The CDFS is the only four-star officer in the NEDF (General, Admiral or Air Chief Marshal). He is assisted by the individual service chiefs (Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of the Air Force Staff), all of whom are three-star officers. It is a fixed term appointment of three years, and is rotated between the three services (Navy, Army and Air Force). The CDFS is appointed by the King under advice of the First Minister. The appointment is politically neutral, as are all military positions, and not affected by a change of government.
Appointments to the position of the CDFS are, like the service chiefs, for a three year term. The change of command occurs on the first Wednesday in May.
| Chiefs of the Defence Force Staff | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Service | In Office | ||
| 1 | Admiral Sir Stephen Chandler |  |
Royal New England Navy | 1 October 2012 - 6 May 2015 |
| 2 | General Sir Alexander Simmons |  |
New England Army | 6 May 2015 - 2 May 2018 |
| 3 | Air Chief Marshal Sir Rodney Burns |  |
Royal New England Air Force | 2 May 2018 - 5 May 2021 |
| 4 | Admiral Frank Colless | |
Royal New England Navy | 5 May 2021 - 6 October 2022 |
| 5 | Admiral Dame Sandra Dean | |
Royal New England Navy | 6 October 2022 - 7 May 2025 |
| 6 | General Sir Eric Stevens | |
New England Army | 7 May 2025 - 3 May 2028 |
| 7 | Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Cotton | |
Royal New England Air Force | 3 May 2028 - 7 May 2031 |
| 8 | Admiral Sir Paul Norton-Gibbs | |
Royal New England Navy | 7 May 2031 - 2 May 2035 |
| 9 | General Sir William Greig | |
New England Army | 2 May 2035 - 5 May 2038 |
| 10 | Air Chief Marshal Sir Fitz Colman | |
Royal New England Air Force | 5 May 2038 - 1 May 2041 |
| 11 | Admiral Sir Christian Godfrey | |
Royal New England Navy | 1 May 2041 - 4 May 2044 |
| 12 | General Sir George Macpherson | |
New England Army | 4 May 2044 - 1 May 2047 |
| 13 | Air Chief Marshal Dame Kellie Ogilvy | |
Royal New England Air Force | 1 May 2047 - 4 May 2050 |
| 14 | Admiral Sir Francis King | |
Royal New England Navy | 4 May 2050 - Present |
