Catalogue description Ministry of Defence: Central Defence Scientific Staff and predecessors: Registered Files (CSA, AE 1 and A Series) and Papers

The Central Defence Scientific Staff was set up in 1964 as part of the newly unified Ministry of Defence organisation. It grew out of the small staff attached to the Chief Scientific Adviser at the pre-1964 Ministry of Defence and the Defence Research Policy Staff which served the Defence Research Policy Committee whose chairman was the Chief Scientific Adviser. The title of Chief Scientific Adviser was created in 1960 with the appointment of Solly Zuckerman, his predecessor, Sir Frederick Brundrett, had been known as Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence; both roles were sometimes referred to as Chief Scientist.

The Central Defence Scientific Staff was headed by the Chief Scientific Adviser and below him, originally were Deputy Chief Scientific Advisers each with responsibility for Studies, Projects, and Nuclear issues. Administritive support was provided by the Defence Science secretariat which also served as part of the Defence Secretariat (later DS 2 and DS 3). The staff inherited the duties of serving the Defence Research Committee and the Weapons Development Committee (which became the Defence Equipment Policy Committee in 1971) that replaced the Defence Research Policy Committee in 1964.

By 1969 the Chief Scientific Adviser had become Chief Adviser (Projects and Research) and beneath him were Deputy Chief Advisers for Research and Studies, and Projects and Nuclear; the title of Chief Scientific Adviser was re-instated in 1971.

Below the Deputy Chief Scientific Advisers/Deputy Chief Advisers were Assistant Chief Scientific Advisers for Studies, Research, Projects and Nuclear and the Defence Operational Analysis Establishment; this structure remained essentially the same despite several re-organisations. The Central Defence Scientific Staff was part of the larger Defence Scientific Staff which included the Chief Scientists of the three services who reported to the Defence Council via both the Defence Scientific Adviser as well as their own service boards.