General Richards to take over as Chief of the Defence Staff

General Sir David Richards KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen currently serving as the Chief of the General Staff will take up the post of Chief of the Defence Staff in October 2010. The appointment has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen.

Gen Richards is one of the UK's most experienced military figures in terms of operational command. He saw service in the Far East and Germany, and commanded in East Timor and Sierra Leone, as well as completing three tours of Northern Ireland.

He made his name in 2002 as commander of a British-led force which was sent to evacuate Britons and other foreigners from Sierra Leone during a violent civil war. He went beyond his mandate to successfully take on the rebels in what became seen as a textbook campaign.

Describing himself as "a seat-of-the-pants soldier," Gen Richards is widely respected by soldiers, journalists, aid workers and others as an excellent communicator, as well as a risk-taker.

He will come to the post at a tough time for defence and for the mission in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence will not be protected from far-reaching cuts, which could even see the size of the British army slashed by almost 25%, bringing its fighting strength down from around 100,000 to just 75,000.

All three services are expected to suffer, with the Treasury suggesting current defence expenditure must be cut by a third of its present level within three years.

Dealing with those deep cuts - while ensuring that Britain's armed forces remain world-class - will be one of the first challenges the new Chief of the Defence Staff will have to face.

Gen Richards already has wide support within the Army for his clear articulation of the current strategic choices facing allied forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere.