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Commander Land Forces

Former senior officer in the British Army From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commander Land Forces is a senior post in the British Army that commands Land Forces Command.[1]

StyleGeneral
AbbreviationCLF
MemberofArmy Board
ReportstoChief of the General Staff
Quick facts Style, Abbreviation ...
Commander Land Forces
Car flag of the Commander Land Forces
Incumbent
Lieutenant General Zac Stenning
since 30 March 2026
British Army, Land Forces Command
StyleGeneral
AbbreviationCLF
Member ofArmy Board
Reports toChief of the General Staff
Term length
  • No fixed length
PrecursorCommander Field Army
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Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces (CINCLAND), was a senior officer in the British Army. CINCLAND commanded HQ Land Forces, an administrative apparatus that had responsibility for all of the army's fighting units in the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland), Germany and Brunei, together with training garrisons in Nepal, Belize, Canada and Kenya. CINCLAND was also the Standing Joint Commander (UK) (SJC (UK)), with responsibility for the provision of Military Aid to the Civil Power within the United Kingdom. The position had existed since 1968, when it was known as General Officer Commanding Army Strategic Command. In 1972 it became Commander-in-Chief United Kingdom Land Forces (CINCUKLF). As from 1 April 2008, HQ Land Command was renamed HQ Land Forces (HQLF). Therefore, the Commander-in-Chief became Commander-in-Chief of HQ Land Forces.[2]

CINCLAND headed the Commanders-in-Chief Committee, a body established for contingency planning purposes.[3]

The post changed to a three-star position, Commander Land Forces, after 1 November 2011 following a major army command reorganisation.[4] In November 2015, the post of Commander Land Forces was redesignated as Commander Field Army.[5]

On 16 March 2026, it was announced that the post of Commander Land Forces would be reinstated with a global remit for operations, training, and warfare development with Lieutenant General Zac Stenning taking up the role.[1]

Post holders

Holders of the post have been:[6]

More information Image, Rank ...
Image Rank Name Term began Term ended Ref
Commander-in-Chief Army Strategic Command
General Sir John Mogg April 1968 May 1970 [7]
General Sir Mervyn Butler May 1970 November 1971 [8]
General Sir Frank King November 1971 April 1972 [9]
Commander-in-Chief United Kingdom Land Forces
General Sir Basil Eugster April 1972 April 1974 [10]
General Sir Roland Gibbs April 1974 May 1976 [11]
General Sir Edwin Bramall May 1976 April 1978 [12]
General Sir John Archer April 1978 January 1980 [13]
General Sir Timothy Creasey January 1980 April 1981 [14]
General Sir John Stanier April 1981 July 1982 [15]
General Sir Frank Kitson July 1982 June 1985 [16]
General Sir James Glover June 1985 June 1987 [17]
General Sir John Chapple June 1987 September 1988 [18]
General Sir Charles Huxtable September 1988 October 1990 [17]
General Sir John Waters October 1990 March 1993 [17]
General Sir John Wilsey March 1993 April 1995 [17]
Commander-in-Chief Land Command
General Sir John Wilsey April 1995 March 1996 [17]
General Sir Roger Wheeler March 1996 January 1997 [19]
General Sir Michael Walker January 1997 March 2000 [20]
General Sir Michael Jackson March 2000 January 2003 [21]
General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman January 2003 March 2005 [22]
General Sir Richard Dannatt March 2005 August 2006 [23]
General Sir Redmond Watt August 2006 February 2008 [24]
Commander-in-Chief Land Forces
General Sir David Richards February 2008 July 2009 [25]
General Sir Peter Wall July 2009 July 2010 [26]
General Sir Nick Parker July 2010 November 2011 [27]
Commander United Kingdom Field Army
Lieutenant General Redmond Watt September 2003 March 2005 [28]
Lieutenant General Robin Brims March 2005 October 2007 [29]
Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb October 2007 July 2009 [30]
Lieutenant General Barney White-Spunner July 2009 October 2011 [31]
Lieutenant General Nick Carter October 2011 January 2012 [32]
Commander Land Forces
General Sir Nick Parker November 2011 December 2012 [33]
Lieutenant General Adrian Bradshaw January 2013 November 2013 [34]
Lieutenant-General Nick Carter November 2013 September 2014 [35]
Lieutenant-General James Everard September 2014 November 2015 [36]
Commander Field Army
Lieutenant General Sir James Everard November 2015 December 2016 [37]
Lieutenant General Patrick Sanders December 2016 March 2019 [38]
Lieutenant General Ivan Jones March 2019 April 2021 [39]
Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse April 2021 March 2024 [40]
Lieutenant General Mike Elviss March 2024 March 2026 [41]
Commander Land Forces
Lieutenant-General Zachary Stenning March 2026 Incumbent [42]
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