The Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Si ...

. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the

Sierra Leonean Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

military. It is the highest rank military position in the country. In 1985, General

Joseph Saidu Momoh Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, OOR, OBE (January 26, 1937 – August 3, 2003) served as President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992. Early life and education Joseph Saidu Momoh was born on January 26, 1937, in Binkolo, B ...

, the army commander, succeed President

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...

. It is not clear what exactly Momoh's title was but it seems likely that he was the senior Sierra Leonean military officer and held the predecessor to the CDS's post.

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

Tom Carew Tom Carew was a Brigadier, possibly later promoted to Major General, in the Sierra Leonean army and Chief of Defence Staff of the Government of Sierra Leone from April 2000 to November 2003, at which point Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabb ...

was Chief of Defence Staff from April 2000 to November 2003. He may have been promoted to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

during his tenure.

Alfred Nelson-Williams Major General Alfred Claude Nelson-Williams, GCOR is a retired Major General in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). Nelson-Williams serves as the Sierra Leone Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria Nelson-Williams previous ser ...

was the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Republic of the Armed Forces, between 2008-2010. Nelson-Williams succeeded the retiring Major General

Edward Sam M'boma Edward Sam M'bomah is a Sierra Leonean military commander. He is at the rank of Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major g ...

on 12 September 2008.New Vision, Freetown, 15 September 2008 The current chief is Lieutenant general Brima Sesay.

List of chiefs

References

Military of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

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