Defence Services Secretary
The Defence Services Secretary is a senior member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.
| Defence Services Secretary / Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel Capability) | |
|---|---|
.svg) Arms of the Royal Household | |
.svg) Flag of the British Armed Forces | |
since October 2024 | |
| British Armed Forces Royal Household | |
| Abbreviation | DSS |
| Reports to | The Monarch Secretary of State for Defence Chief of Defence Staff |
| Nominator | Secretary of State for Defence |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Formation | 1964 |
| First holder | General Sir Rodney Moore |
Responsibilities
[edit]The Defence Services Secretary is the senior member of the Royal Household responsible for liaison between the Sovereign and the British Armed Forces.[1] He is answerable to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff for tri-service appointments, national ceremonial events and honours, decorations, awards and medals.[2] From 1992 the Defence Services Secretary has been double-hatted with a second Ministry of Defence role, generally that of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel).[3]
List of Defence Services Secretaries
[edit]Defence Services Secretaries have been:[4]
- General Sir Rodney Moore, KCB, KCVO, CBE, DSO 1964–1966
- Vice Admiral Sir Ian Hogg, KCVO, CB, DSC 1966–1967
- Air Vice-Marshal Sir Alan Boxer, KCVO, CB, DSO, DFC 1967–1970
- Major General Sir Chandos Blair, KCVO, OBE, MC 1970–1972
- Rear Admiral Sir Ronald Forrest, KCVO 1972–1975
- Air Vice-Marshal Sir Brian Stanbridge, KCVO, CBE, AFC 1975–1979
- Rear Admiral Sir Leslie Townsend, KCVO, CBE 1979–1982
- Major General Sir Michael Palmer, KCVO 1982–1985
- Air Vice-Marshal Sir Richard Peirse, KCVO, CB 1985–1988
- Rear Admiral Sir David Allen, KCVO, CBE 1988–1991
- Major General Brian Pennicott, CVO 1991–1994 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) from 1992)
- Air Vice-Marshal Peter Harding, CB, CVO, CBE, AFC 1994–1998
- Rear Admiral Rodney Lees, CVO 1998–2001 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) as secondary post)
- Major General Christopher Elliot, CVO, CBE 2001–2004 (Director General, Reserve Forces and Cadets as secondary post)
- Air Vice-Marshal David Pocock, CVO 2004–2005 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) as secondary post)
- Rear Admiral Peter Wilkinson, CVO 2005–2007 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) as secondary post)
- Major General Matthew Sykes, CVO 2007–2010
- Air Vice-Marshal the Honourable David Murray, CVO, OBE 2010–2012
- Rear Admiral Simon Williams, CVO 2012–2015 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) as secondary post)
- Major-General Richard Nugee, CVO, CBE 2015–2016 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves) as secondary post)[5]
- Air Vice-Marshal Garry Tunnicliffe, CVO 2016–2019 (Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel Capability) as secondary post)[6][7]
- Rear Admiral James Macleod, CB, CVO 2019-2022 (Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel Capability) as secondary post)[8][9][10][11]
- Major General Eldon Millar, CVO, MBE 2022–2024 (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (People Capability) as secondary post)[12][10][13]
- Major General Lisa Keetley 2024–present (Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (People Capability) as secondary post)
References
[edit]- ^ The Queen and the Armed Services
- ^ Veterans UK Archived 2011-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Central Top Level Budget Archived October 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ministry of Defence & Tri-service senior appointments Archived November 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Army appointment
- ^ Daily Telegraph, 2016, "Air Appointments" The Daily Telegraph 21 July 2016
- ^ "No. 61656". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 2016. p. 16088.
- ^ Royal Court Circular, 2019, Buckingham Palace, 27 March 2019
- ^ "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B2.
- ^ a b Queen Elizabeth II makes first appearance since Prince Charles's COVID diagnosis, ABC/Reuters, 2022-02-16
- ^ Royal Court Circular, 2022, Windsor Castle,16 February 2022
- ^ Royal Court Circular, 2022, St James Palace, 3 February 2022
- ^ "No. 63640". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 March 2022. p. 4774.