The
Chief of the Air Staff (
CAS) is the professional head of the
Royal Air Force and a member of both the
Chiefs of Staff Committee and the
Air Force Board. The post was created in 1918 with Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard as the first incumbent. The current and 30th Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Sir
Andrew Pulford. He succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir
Stephen Dalton as Chief of the Air Staff on 24 July 2013. Sir
Stephen Hillier is due to succeed Sir Andrew Pulford in July 2016.