UK Appoints New Chief of the General Staff
General Sir Roland ‘Roly’ Walker has been appointed the UK’s new Chief of the General Staff. Walker will replace General Sir Patrick Sanders in June 2024.
In a UK government statement announcing the appointment Defence Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that King Charles III had given formal ascent of the appointment of the new Chief of the General Staff.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“I am delighted to congratulate General Sir Roly Walker on his deserved promotion and appointment in June as Chief of the General Staff, the future of the British Army is in excellent hands.
Roly’s wealth of operational experience and previous appointments make him very well suited to lead the British Army as we continue to modernise our Armed Forces to meet the threats and challenges in a more contested and dangerous world.”
The UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin added: “I congratulate Lieutenant General Roly Walker on his appointment as Chief of the General Staff, and I congratulate General Sanders for all he has achieved in his five years at the top of Defence.”
General Walker, 53, was commissioned into the British Army’s Irish Guards in 1993 before joining the SAS in 1997, he later returned to the regular army to take command of 1 Grenadier Guards. During his career he has held a variety of field command and staff positions. He has served in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as joint command of operations across Europe, the broader Middle East, Africa and South America. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 2010 for his leadership on operations in Afghanistan. His most recent appointment as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) at the MoD since April 2021, has seen him involved with leading or advising on operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of national events including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles as well as the withdrawal from Kabul and the UK’s response to the invasion of Ukraine.
On his appointment General Walker said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed as the next Chief of the General Staff… My task will be to build on the successes of my predecessor and friend, Patrick, and lead the British Army forward on an ambitious modernisation journey that means we are fitter, faster for the challenges of the future.
There is plenty to be excited about. The Defence Command Paper has set the priorities for the Army and backed them with investment. We have brilliant people at every rank who will turn this into real and potent fighting power. “