Overview

• Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton formally took over as Chief of the Defence Staff on 3 September, becoming the UK armed forces’ professional head and principal military adviser.
• Under recent reforms, the Chief of the Defence Staff now has direct command of the service chiefs and leads the Military Strategic Headquarters responsible for force design and war planning.
• Defence Secretary John Healey said Knighton will be critical to delivering the transformation set out in the Strategic Defence Review.
• The transition comes alongside a government plan to raise defence spending to 2.6% of GDP from April 2027 with a longer-term ambition of 3% in the next parliament.
• Admiral Sir Tony Radakin retired after 40 years of service, marking his departure aboard HMS Blazer and urging that the UK's NATO relationship be preserved and celebrated.