DE&S CEO Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton will be the British Army’s next Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS).

At the end of March Lt Gen Hamilton will leave DE&S, which he has led as interim CEO since October last year, before succeeding Lt Gen Sir David Eastman in April.  

“It is an enormous privilege to have been chosen, and I look forward to this new challenge,” he said. “I will take with me into this new post the wealth of professional knowledge, experiences and friendships that have made my time at DE&S so rewarding. 

“Since I joined the Army, I have followed a zig-zag career that has been fantastically varied: leading soldiers on operations, designing capability portfolios, delivering programmes, contributing to restructures of both the Army and DE&S, and ultimately serving as interim CEO.

“This most recent chapter has been an immense privilege; made possible by the wonderful people I have had the chance to serve alongside.”

Lt Gen Hamilton has a long history with DE&S, having previously been Head Vehicle Support from 2017 to 2019.

He served as the Army’s Director Logistics Support and Engineering, then Director Programmes, until the summer of 2023, when he rejoined DE&S as Director General Land. He took on the role of Director General System Integration in DE&S’ new operating model, before serving as Deputy CEO to Andy Start, and then interim CEO.

Now, he is preparing for the privilege of serving as the Army’s second-in-command to Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Roly Walker.

As DCGS, Lt Gen Hamilton will lead the Army’s Force Design, overseeing personnel and capabilities, thus ensuring soldiers are equipped to fight and win both now and in the future.

He will continue to build on his extensive relationships with, driving investment in a modernised force that leverages survivable, autonomous and disposable attack systems.

Lt Gen Hamilton added: “As DCGS, I hope to use what I've learned at DE&S to strengthen the partnership between the Army and the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group.

“I look forward to working with both DE&S and the wider NAD Group to deliver and sustain the Army's warfighting capabilities alongside my other responsibilities.”