Chief of Defence Staff (Trinidad and Tobago)

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the military. The CDS reports directly to the Minister of National Security, who holds political responsibility for defence matters, as outlined in Section 191(2) of the Defence Act, Chapter 14:01. The current chief is Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel who was appointed on 25 March 2019, as Air Commodore and promoted to Air Vice Marshall effective November 01,2020 . The Vice Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS) is Brigadier General Dexter Francis. Unlike other Caribbean nations, the chief is not called the more common "Chief of Staff". This is due to the strong ties Trinidad and Tobago had to the British equivalent during the establishment of the TTDF.