Editing Royal Air Force (section)

=== Senior leadership ===
[[File:Sir Richard Knighton.jpg|thumb|[[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of Air Staff]] [[Air chief marshal|Air Chief Marshal]] [[Rich Knighton|Sir Richard Knighton]]]]
The professional head and highest-ranking officer of the Royal Air Force is the [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the air staff]] (CAS). He reports to the [[Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the defence staff]], who is the professional head of the [[British Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Air Command senior, as of September 2018|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/872139/Air_Mar_19_senior_data.csv/preview|date=12 March 2020|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=9 May 2020|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728115947/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/872139/Air_Mar_19_senior_data.csv/preview|url-status=live}}</ref> The incumbent chief of the air staff is [[Air chief marshal|Air Chief Marshal]] [[Rich Knighton|Sir Richard Knighton]] who was appointed in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chief of the Air Staff |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-commanders/chief-of-the-air-staff/ |access-date=1 July 2023 |website=Royal Air Force |language=en-gb}}</ref>

The management of the RAF is the responsibility of the [[Air Force Board]], a sub-committee of the [[Defence Council of the United Kingdom|Defence Council]] which is part of the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] and the body legally responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom and its [[British overseas territory|overseas territories]]. The chief of the air staff chairs the Air Force Board Standing Committee (AFBSC) which decides on the policy and actions required for the RAF to meet the requirements of the Defence Council and [[Government of the United Kingdom|His Majesty's Government]].{{Sfn|Heyman|2013|pp=134–135}}

The [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|chief of the air staff]] is supported by several other senior commanders:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Royal Air Force senior management positions<ref>{{cite web|title=Senior Commanders|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-commanders/|access-date=8 March 2021|website=Royal Air Force|language=en-gb|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303231936/https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-commanders/|url-status=live}}</ref>
! Title
! Rank
! [[Ranks and insignia of NATO|NATO rank scale]]
|-
|[[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Air Staff]]
|[[Air chief marshal|Air Chief Marshal]]
|OF-9
|-
|[[Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Deputy Chief of the Air Staff]]
|[[Air marshal|Air Marshal]]
|OF-8
|-
|[[Air and Space Commander]]
|Air Marshal
|OF-8
|-
|Air Officer Northern Ireland
|Air Marshal
|OF-8
|-
|[[Assistant Chief of the Air Staff]]
|[[Air vice-marshal|Air Vice-Marshal]]
|OF-7
|-
|[[Air Officer Scotland]]
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans)
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|[[Air Secretary|Chief of Staff Personnel and Air Secretary]]
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|Commandant General Royal Auxiliary Air Force
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|Director of Legal Services
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|[[Air Member for Materiel|Air Member for Materiel and Chief of Materiel]]
|[[Vice Admiral]]
|OF-8<ref name=appoints>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/senior-appointments/ |title=Senior Royal Air Force Appointments |first=Richard |last=Thompson |website=raf.mod.uk |access-date=17 March 2021 |archive-date=5 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705001210/https://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/senior-appointments.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Chaplain-in-Chief]]
|Air Vice-Marshal
|OF-7
|-
|Air Officer Wales
|[[Air commodore|Air Commodore]]
|OF-6
|-
|Director of Resources
| colspan=2 {{N/A|Civilian}}
|-
|[[Warrant Officer of the Royal Air Force]]
|[[Warrant officer#Royal Air Force|Warrant Officer]]
|OR-9
|}