Ministry of Defence: Central Defence Scientific Staff and predecessors: Registered...

DEFE 19

1948-2000

This series consists of the files and papers of the Central Defence Scientific Staff, set up under the unified Ministry of Defence, together with papers inherited from its predecessors in the smaller, pre-1964, Ministry of Defence. They include papers of the Chief Scientific Adviser, his assistant for nuclear matters and papers relating to atomic energy intelligence.

As well as registered files of the Chief Scientific Adviser (in the CSA series), the series includes unregistered papers in branch folders from the Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee, the papers of the first Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser (Nuclear ), Dr Robert Press, inherited from his earlier work on the pre-1964 staff of the Chief Scientific Adviser,and later branch folders of ACSA (N).

Cabinet Office papers of Dr Press as Chief Scientific Adviser are contained in CAB 178

CSA, AE 1, A and DSC file series

Public Record(s)

English

• Central Defence Scientific Staff, 1964-1964
• Defence Research Policy Committee, 1945-1964

639 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 1987 Ministry of Defence

Topics

Nuclear energy

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Series is accruing.

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.