The Chief of the Defence Staff of Italy is the service head of the Italian Armed Forces.

The current Chief of the Defence staff is General Luciano Portolano.

The post was established in 1925 as Chief of the General Staff (Capo di Stato Maggiore Generale).

From 1941 until 1945, it was Capo del Comando Supremo.

The Chief of the Defense staff, since 1998, to exercise his duties, uses two joint bodies: