The British Defence Staff – US, which was previously known as British Defence Staff (Washington),[1] is the home of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) in the United States of America and its purpose is to serve the interests of Her Majesty's Government in the USA. The British Defence Staff – US is led by the Defence Attaché and has responsibility for military and civilian MOD personnel located both within the Embassy and in 34 states across the USA.
British Defence Staff – US alongside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments collectively serve the interests of Her Majesty’s Government in the USA.
The British Defence Staff in the United States is led by the Defence Attaché Major-General Francis Hedley Robertson "Buster" Howes, CB, OBE. The Defence Attaché is the British Ambassador's senior adviser on defence issues, and as Head of the British Defence Staff in the United States has responsibility over 385 military and civilian MOD personnel located both within the Embassy and in 34 states across the USA. The Defence Attaché is drawn rotationally from each of the three Services.
Recent defence attachés[]
Attachés have included:[2]
- 1941-1944 Field Marshal Sir John Dill
- 1945-1947 Field Marshal Lord Wilson
- 1948-1950 Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Medhurst
- 1950-1951 Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder
- 1951-1953 Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliot
- 1953-1956 General Sir John Whiteley
- 1956-1959 Admiral Sir Michael Denny
- 1959-1962 Air Chief Marshal Sir George Mills
- 1962-1965 General Sir Michael Alston-Roberts-West
- 1965-1967 Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson
- 1967-1970 Lieutenant-General Sir George Lea
- 1970-1973 Air Marshal Sir John Lapsley
- 1973-1975 Vice-Admiral Sir Ian Easton
- 1975-1978 Lieutenant-General Sir Rollo Pain
- 1978-1981 Air Marshal Sir Roy Austen-Smith
- 1981-1984 Major-General Anthony Boam
- 1984-1988 Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Dick
- 1988-1991 Major-General Edwin Beckett
- 1991-1994 Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dodworth
- 1994-1997 Rear-Admiral Anthony Blackburn
- 1997-2000 Major-General Charles Vyvyan
- 2000-2002 Air Vice-Marshal John Thompson
- 2002-2005 Rear-Admiral Anthony Dymock
- 2006-2008 Major General Peter Gilchrist
- 2008-2011 Air Vice Marshal Michael Harwood
- 2011-2015 Major-General Buster Howes
- 2015–2017 Major-General Richard Cripwell
- 2017–2020 Air Vice-Marshall Gavin Parker
- 2020-Present Air Commodore Michael Smeath[3]
References[]
- ↑ "British Defence Staff-US – A New Name, A Renewed Commitment". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20080517233606/http://www.bdsus.mod.uk/news/index.html. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ↑ "Ministry of Defence and Senior Tri-Service Appointments". p. 34. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033054/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Ministry%20of%20Defence%20Senior%20Posts.pdf. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ↑ "Senior Appointments 10 February 2020". Royal Air Force. 10 February 2020. https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-appointments/.
External links[]
The original article can be found at British Defence Staff – US and the edit history here.