Chief of the Army Staff (Vishwamitra)

Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of the Army Staff
सेनाध्यक्ष (Hindi)
	Flag of the Army
	Incumbent; General Rory Leonard; since 1 October 2024
	Royal Vishwamitran Army
Status	Professional head of the army
Abbreviation	CAS
Reports to	Rashtradhyaksh; Prime Minister; Minister of National Security
Nominator	Minister of National Security
Appointer	Commander-in-Chief of the Army; at the advice of the Cabinet
Term length	At His Illustrious and Royal Majesty's pleasure
Formation	17 February 2021; (as Commander of the Army); 13 August 2023; (as Chief of the Army Staff);
First holder	Lieutenant General Vincent Wilhelm von Ironside; (as Commander of the Army)
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (DCAS)

The Chief of the Army Staff (CAS) (Hindi: सेनाध्यक्ष‎), also known as Army Chief is the title of the professional head of the Royal Vishwamitran Army since 2023, and is the senior-most military officer ranking only below the Commander-in-Chief, a position held by the Rashtradhyaksh. The chief of the army staff is responsible for overseeing the administration, operations, and strategic planning of the army, and the position involves advising the commander-in-chief and the government on military matters, defense policies, and ensuring the security and sovereignty of Vishwamitra. The chief of the army staff is assisted by the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff.

The position has customarily held by a four-star general officer, and occasionally by a field marshal. The current chief of the army staff is General Rory Leonard who has been serving in office since 1 October 2024. Prior to becoming chief of the army staff, he has also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.

History

The unofficial history behind the position of the chief of the army staff dates back to 2018 when then Supreme Leader Varuna Sriraya appointed Tanishkaa Patranabish as the General of the Army effectively her the ceremonial head of the army, the land warfare branch of the armed forces. The position of the head of the Royal Vishwamitran Army was formally created on 17 February 2021 and Lieutenant-General Vincent Wilhelm von Ironside was appointed as the Commander of the Army. At that time, the commanders of the three services held a three-star equivalent rank while the Chief of the General Staff, later renamed as Chief of the Defence Staff, was the sole-holder of a four-star rank.

On 24 August 2021, at the recommendation of Defence Minister Michal Nowacki and his deputy Rory Leonard, the cabinet decided to promote all the tri-services commanders to a four-star rank in their respective services and designated them as Chiefs of Staff. Thereupon, Lieutenant-General Vincent Wilhelm von Ironside was promoted to the rank of a general and re-designated as Chief of the Army Staff and continued to head the army, which was the land-warfare branch of the armed forces.

On 12 July 2022, the Royal Vishwamitran Navy and the Royal Vishwamitran Air Force were dissolved and the army was renamed as the Royal Vishwamitran Defence Forces. The chief of the army staff was re-designated as the Chief of the General Staff and outgoing naval chief Admiral John Caravaggio III was appointed to the position with the rank of a general. On 13 August 2023, the chief of the general staff was re-designated as Chief of the Army Staff. On the occasion of the Rashtradhyaksh's birthday on 10 January 2024, the chief of the army staff General John Caravaggio III was promoted to the rank of a field marshal, making him the first military officer to be promoted as field marshal while in active service. Since 1 October 2024, General Rory Leonard has been serving as the chief of the army staff.

Appointment

The Chief of the Army Staff is appointed by the Rashtradhyaksh in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Vishwamitran Army on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security and upon the approval from the cabinet. The chief of the army staff remains in office at the pleasure of the Rashtradhyaksh.

Insignia


Ranks insignia worn by the Chief of the Army Staff
General (OF-9)		Field Marshal (OF-10)	General (OF-9)
2021	2021–2022	2024–present

Appointees

italic indicates acting tenure

Commander of the Army (2021)

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Term length	Previous service background
1		Lieutenant-General Vincent Wilhelm von Ironside Baron Ironside of Long Island (born 2005)	17 February 2021	24 August 2021	7002188000000000000♠188 days	None

Chief of the Army Staff (2021–2022)

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Term length	Previous service background
1		General Vincent Wilhelm von Ironside Baron Ironside of Long Island (born 2005)	24 August 2021	12 July 2022	7002322000000000000♠322 days	Commander of the Army

Chief of the General Staff (2022–2023)

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Term length	Previous service background
1		General John Caravaggio III Count Caravaggio^[a] (born 2003)	13 July 2022	13 August 2023	7002396000000000000♠1 year, 31 days	Commander of the Navy Chief of the Naval Staff

↑ Baron Caravaggio until 31 December 2022.

Chief of the Army Staff (2023–present)

No.	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Term length	Previous service background
1	Field Marshal John Caravaggio III Sri Rajanya Chitranshu^[a] (born 2003)	13 August 2023	30 June 2024	7002414000000000000♠1 year, 48 days	Commander of the Navy Chief of the Naval Staff Chief of the General Staff
1		1 July 2024	30 September 2024	7002414000000000000♠1 year, 48 days
2	General Rory Leonard (born 2007)	1 October 2024	Incumbent	7001480000000000000♠48 days	Deputy Chief of Army Staff

↑ General until 10 January 2024.