Chief of defence
The chief of defence is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The term CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position within the NATO and EU member states, rather than the actual term used for individual positions. Thus, irrespective of the formal national designation of that position is some variation on Commander-in-Chief, Chief of Staff, Supreme Commander or something else, they can all be referred to unambiguously as CHODs in NATO and EU terminology, although other terms are sometimes also seen within NATO. Thus, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the CHOD of the United States, the Chief of the Defence Staff is the CHOD of United Kingdom, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr is the CHOD of Germany and the Chief of Defence is the CHOD of Norway.
Both NATO and EU occasionally hold CHODs meetings of the NATO Military Committee and the European Union Military Committee respectively.
CHOD positions by NATO country
Within member states of NATO, the following national positions are the CHOD positions. Sometimes more than one form of translation into English is encountered.| Country | Position | Alternative translations | Term in national language used for the position |
| Albania | Chief of the General Staff | Shefi i shtabit të përgjithshëm | |
| Belgium | Chief of the General Staff | Chef Defensie Chef de la Défense | |
| Bulgaria | Chief of the Defence | Началник на отбраната | |
| Canada | Chief of the Defence Staff | Chef d'état-major de la défense | |
| Croatia | Chief of the General Staff | Načelnik Glavnog stožera | |
| Czech Republic | Chief of the General Staff | Náčelník Generálního štábu | |
| Denmark | Chief of Defence | Forsvarschefen | |
| Estonia | Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces | Kaitseväe juhataja | |
| France | Chief of the Defence Staff | Chef d'état-major des armées | |
| Germany | Inspector General of the Bundeswehr | Chief of Defence | Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr |
| Greece | Chief of the National Defence General Staff | Αρχηγός του Γενικού Επιτελείου Εθνικής Άμυνας | |
| Hungary | Chief of the General Staff | Vezérkari főnök | |
| Iceland | |||
| Italy | Chief of the Defence Staff | Capo di Stato Maggiore della Difesa | |
| Latvia | Bruņoto spēku komandieris | ||
| Lithuania | Chief of Defence | Kariuomenės vadas | |
| Luxembourg | Chief of Staff | Chief of Defence | Chef d'Etat-Major |
| Montenegro | Chief of the General Staff | Montenegrin: Начелник Генералштаба | |
| Netherlands | Chief of Defence | Commandant der Strijdkrachten | |
| Norway | Chief of Defence | Forsvarssjefen | |
| Poland | Chief of the General Staff | Szef Sztabu Generalnego | |
| Portugal | Chefe do Estado-Maior General das Forças Armadas | ||
| Romania | Chief of Defence | Chief of the General Staff | Şeful Statului Major General |
| Slovakia | Chief of the General Staff | Náčelník generálneho štábu | |
| Slovenia | Chief of the General Staff | Načelnik Generalštaba | |
| Spain | Chief of the Defence Staff | Jefe del Estado Mayor de la Defensa | |
| Turkey | Chief of the General Staff | Commander of the Armed Forces | Genelkurmay Başkanı |
| United Kingdom | Chief of the Defence Staff | ||
| United States | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
In 2018 Slovenia appointed the first woman Major General Alenka Ermenc to hold such a position in the history of NATO and Slovenia.
CHOD positions by non-NATO EU country
Within the EU member states that are not members of NATO, the following national positions are the CHOD positions.| Country | Position | Alternative translations | Term in national language used for the position |
| Austria | Chef des Generalstabes | ||
| Cyprus | Chief of the National Guard | Αρχηγοί Εθνικής Φρουράς | |
| Finland | Chief of Defence | Puolustusvoimain komentaja Kommendören för Försvarsmakten | |
| Ireland | Ceann Foirne na bhFórsaí Cosanta | ||
| Malta | Commander Armed Forces Malta | Kmandant Forzi Armati ta 'Malta | |
| Sweden | Supreme Commander | Överbefälhavaren |
Other Chief of Defence positions by (non-NATO and non-EU) country
Note that in many countries outside of NATO and EU, the concept of civilian control of the military is inapplicable. In some countries the minister of defence is often a senior military officer. However, the list below only lists CHOD equivalents and not defense ministers.| Country | Position | Alternative translations | Term in national language used for the position |
| Algeria | Chief of the Defence Staff | رئيس أركان الجيش الوطني الشعبي | |
| Australia | Chief of the Defence Force | ||
| Belarus | Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus | Генеральны штаб Узброеных Сіл Рэспублікі Беларусь | |
| Brazil | Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces | Chefe do Estado Maior Conjunto das Forças Armadas | |
| Chile | Jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto de la Defensa | ||
| China | Joint Chief of Staff | Chief of General Staff Commanding General of the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department | |
| Ecuador | El Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas | ||
| Gambia | |||
| Ghana | |||
| India | Chief of Defence Staff | ||
| Indonesia | Commander of the National Armed Forces | Panglima Tentara Nasional Indonesia | |
| Iran | Chief of General Staff | رئیس ستاد کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران | |
| Israel | Chief of General Staff | ||
| Japan | Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | 統合幕僚長 | |
| New Zealand | |||
| Nigeria | |||
| North Korea | 조선인민군 총참모장 | ||
| Peru | Head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Peru | Chefe do Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas del Perú | |
| Russia | Chief of the General Staff | Начальник Генерального штаба | |
| Serbia | Chief of the General Staff | Начелник Генералштаба | |
| Singapore | |||
| Chief of Defence Forces | Somali: Taliyaha Xooga Qalabka Soomaaliyeed | ||
| South Africa | |||
| South Korea | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | 대한민국 합동참모본부 | |
| Sri Lanka | |||
| Switzerland | Chef de l'Armée Chef der Armee Capo dell'Esercito | ||
| Taiwan | Chief of the General Staff | ||
| Thailand | Chief of the Defence Forces | Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters | ผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด |
| Ukraine | Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine | Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України | |
| Vietnam | Chief of the Staff | Chief of the General Staff of the People's Army of Vietnam | Tổng Tham mưu trưởng Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam |