The Chief of Defence Staff^[1] (Swedish: Chefen för ledningsstaben, C LEDS lit. 'Chief of the Management Staff') was the chief of the Defence Staff at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. The Chief of Defence Staff was appointed as a three-star general or admiral.^[3] The Chief of Defence Staff was part of the Defence Board (Försvarsmaktsledningen, FML), a group of the Supreme Commander's top commanders.^[4] The position was abolished in 2022 and was succeeded by the new old position of Chief of the Defence Staff which previously existed between 1937 and 1994.

At the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters's reorganization on 1 April 2007, the Defence Staff (Ledningsstaben, LEDS)^{[lower-alpha 2]} was created.^[3] It handles major strategic issues, such as planning the Swedish Armed Forces' operations and financial control of the agency. The staff leads, coordinates and monitors the activities of the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. The Defence Staff was in turn divided into departments with different responsibilities. The departments are:^[5]

• Plans and Finance Department (Planerings- och ekonomiavdelningen, LEDS PLANEK)
• Policy and Plans Department (Inriktningsavdelning, LEDS INRI), headed by the Chief of Policy and Plans Department
• Communications Department (Kommunikationsavdelningen, LEDS KOMM), headed by the Director of Communication and Public Affairs
• Chief Information Officer Department (CIO-avdelningen, LEDS CIO)
• Legal Department (Juridiska avdelningen, LEDS JUR)
• Human Resources Department (Personalavdelningen, LEDS PERS), headed by the Director of Human Resources
• Total Defence Department (Totalförsvarsavdelningen, LEDS TF).

In addition, there was a staff department for coordination and support to the agency's management. The Chief of Defence Staff was also head of the headquarters. The Chief of Defence Staff had extensive duties and powers, for example with regard to international cooperation and international agreements. The Chief of Defence Staff had, in his support, a deputy head of the headquarters and the administrative headquarters department.^[5]

The Chief of Defence Staff reported directly to the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces and the chief financial officer of the Swedish Armed Forces reports to the Chief of Defence Staff.^[6]