As stipulated in Article 47, the Military Staff Committee consists of “the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives.”
The Committee consists of the Chiefs of Staff from the Security Council's five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK and the U.S. Responsibility is delegated to the Heads of Military Delegations (P-5 Military Advisers). Each delegation has a representative from each of the three Armed Services.
Chairmanship
The Chairman acts as Presiding Officer of the Committee, and as liaison between the Committee and the Secretary-General.
The Chairmanship rotates monthly among the P5 Military Advisers in English alphabetical order of the names of their countries.
| MONTH (2024) |
CHAIR |
|---|---|
| JANUARY | China |
| FEBRUARY | France |
| MARCH | Russian Federation |
| APRIL | United Kingdom |
| MAY | United States of America |
| JUNE | China |
| JULY | France |
| AUGUST | Russian Federation |
| SEPTEMBER | United Kingdom |
| OCTOBER | United States of America |
| NOVEMBER | China |
| DECEMBER | France |
Secretariat
The Military Staff Committee Secretariat consists of the Principal Secretary and Liaison Officer and an Administrative Assistant. The Principal Secretary acts as Liaison Officer between the Committee and the Office of the Secretary-General and wider UN Secretariat.
The post of the Principal Secretary and Liaison Officer rotates among the Members of the Committee every five years as noted in MS/2130, dated 16 July 1981. The Administrative Assistant is appointed from the UN Secretariat.
The Secretariat is responsible for organizing all meetings of the Committee, managing documentation and serving as a liaison among the Permanent Five Members, and lately, the elected ten Members of the Security Council.