David Richards (British Army Officer)

David Richards (British Army Officer)

General Sir David Julian Richards, (born 4 March 1952) is a senior British Army officer, currently the Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces. He succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup in this role on 29 October 2010. Richards is supported in his role by his deputy, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, currently General Sir Nicholas Houghton.

He served in the Far East, Germany and Northern Ireland with the Royal Artillery before commanding forces in East Timor and most notably Sierra Leone, where his action without official sanctioning protected Freetown from rebel attacks during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Richards has also served with NATO as a Major General, and he commanded ISAF forces in Southern Afghanistan as a Lieutenant General, between 2006 and 2008.

Richards became Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces of the British Army in 2008 and held this role until 2009 when he was appointed Chief of the General Staff, the Head of the British Army. The following year he succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup as Chief of the Defence Staff.