Chief of staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Department of Defense in 2024

Chief of staff (or head of staff) is a leadership title with different meanings in civilian and military organizations. In civilian government organizations and businesses, a chief of staff is a primary aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a president or leader of a large organization.[1][2] In military organizations, a chief of staff is the leader of a complex organization, such as one of a country's armed forces, while the role that coordinates supporting staff for a senior military officer may be titled a principal staff officer (PSO).

Civilian

White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, with President Donald Trump in 2025

In civilian organizations, a chief of staff provides a buffer between a chief executive and that executive's direct-reporting team. The chief of staff generally works behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before they are brought to the chief executive.[1] Often a chief of staff acts as a confidant and advisor to the chief executive, acting as a sounding board for ideas. Ultimately the actual duties depend on the position and the people involved.[1] In an organization, the chief of staff may play a role that is metaphorically akin to an "air traffic controller" for the leader and the senior team;[3] as an integrator connecting work streams that would otherwise remain siloed; as a communicator linking the leadership team and the broader organization; as an honest broker and truth teller when the leader needs a wide-ranging view; and as a confidant without an organizational agenda. An organization may also hire an associate chief of staff (ACoS), a senior operational role that serves as a partner to the chief of staff (CoS).

Government

Australia

  • Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister

Brazil

Canada

Colombia

  • Chief of Staff of the Presidency

France

In France, a distinction is made between a politician's directeur de cabinet and chef de cabinet. The directeur de cabinet is tasked with organising the work of the staff and is authorised to make certain decisions or speak on behalf of the politician. It is thus the more political role. The chef de cabinet is under the authority of the directeur de cabinet and is tasked with organising the politician's agenda.[4]

At the Élysée, a third function exists: the Secrétaire général de la présidence de la République (Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic). The officeholder is the de facto chief of staff to the President of France, above the directeur de cabinet and chef de cabinet. The secretary-general is the president's closest advisor, coordinating with the government and taking part in the weekly Council of Ministers.[5][6]

Germany

  • Head of the German Chancellery

India

Nigeria

  • Chief of Staff to the President

Pakistan

  • Principal Secretary to the President
  • Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister

Philippines

South Korea

Spain

  • Moncloa Chief of Staff

United Kingdom

Scotland
  • Chief of Staff to the First Minister

United States

Military

One example of an institution with chiefs of staff is the US armed forces. This organization chart shows the hierarchy of joint chiefs of staff and service-specific chiefs of staff in 2012.

In general, the positions listed below are not "chiefs of staff" as defined at the top of this page; they are the heads of the various forces/commands and tend to have subordinates that fulfill the "chief of staff" roles – the most senior staff officer managing the overall commander's staff.

In general

  • Chief of the Defence
  • Chief of the Defence Staff
  • Chief of the General Staff
  • Chief of the Army Staff
  • Chief of the Air Staff
  • Chief of the Naval Staff
  • Category:Vice chiefs of staff

Azerbaijan

Canada

France

  • Chief of the Defence Staff (French: Chef d'état-major des Armées, CEMA)
    • Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (French: Chef d'état-major de l'Armée de l'air, CEMAA)
    • Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: Chef d'état-major de l'Armée de terre, CEMAT)
    • Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: Chef d'état-major de la Marine, CEMM)
  • Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic (French: Chef de l'état-major particulier du président de la République, CEMP)

Ghana

  • Chief of Defence Staff
    • Chief of the Army Staff
    • Chief of the Navy Staff
    • Chief of the Air Staff

Greece

India

Indonesia

  • Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
  • Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy
  • Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force

Ireland

  • Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces

Israel

Italy

Pakistan

Philippines

Portugal

  • Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Portuguese: Chefe do Estado-Maior-General das Forças Armadas, CEMGFA) - operational commander of the Portuguese Armed Forces
    • Chief of Staff of the Navy (Portuguese: Chefe do Estado-Maior da Armada, CEMA) - commander of the Portuguese Navy
    • Chief of Staff of the Army (Portuguese: Chefe do Estado-Maior do Exército, CEME) - commander of the Portuguese Army
    • Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Portuguese: Chefe do Estado-Maior da Força Aérea, CEMFA) - commander of the Portuguese Air Force

Spain

Sri Lanka

United Kingdom

The Sovereign is the Commander-in-Chief. The CDS heads the Chiefs of Staff Committee and is assisted by the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.

United States

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Bromwich, Jonah Engel (2019-11-07). "Hail to the Chief of Staff". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  2. ^ a b Whipple, Chris (2018-03-06). The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency. Crown. ISBN 978-0-8041-3826-0.
  3. ^ Ciampa, Dan (May 2020). "The Case for a Chief of Staff". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Quelle différence entre les fonctions de directeur de cabinet et de chef de cabinet ?". Libération (in French). 5 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Secrétaire général de l'Elysée et directeur de cabinet de Macron : qui fait quoi ?". Libération (in French). 24 July 2018.
  6. ^ Philippe Rioux (14 April 2025). "À l'Elysée, une page se tourne : un Conseil des ministres sans Alexis Kohler, ex-bras droit d'Emmanuel Macron". La Dépêche (in French).
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