The head of the Armed Forces is expected to retire later this year, starting a shotgun on the race to replace him.
General Sir Nick Carter, 61, is due to retire as Chief of Defense Workers at the end of a three-year term in June unless a dramatic extension of his tenure is agreed.
A report in the Sunday Times suggested that the Prime Minister was seeking him out of office early and that he was “tired” of it.
Downing Street reached out to Sir Nick to reassure that this was not the case, the Telegraph understands.
No. 10 is expected to have been significantly impacted by its performance during the “Integrated Review”, a major foreign, defense and security policy review due to be reported in the coming months.
The review reinforces Mr Johnson’s post-Brexit “Global Britain” vision and comes after giving the Ministry of Defense the largest injection of money since the end of the Cold War.
The £ 16.5 billion in additional funding will pay for a once-in-a-generation upgrade of the Armed Forces, honing the award as head of the Defense Forces Chief of Staff.
Another former Etonian could replace Sir Nick: General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, 56, commander of the Army and former commander of the Special Forces, is among the main controversies for the post.
Their favorite, however, is General Sir Patrick Sanders, 54, Chief of Strategic Command, who is believed to have the support of Sir Nick.
The focus of his current role, which includes monitoring offensive cyber and other cutting-edge technologies, adds to the Prime Minister’s focus agenda for the military. .
Also in charge is Admiral Tony Radakin, 55, First Lord Marine. In his favor is Mr Johnson’s foreign policy maritime policy.
The other main competitor is Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston, 52, commander of the Royal Air Force who led in 2019 a rigorous review of sexual harassment and discrimination in the Armed Forces.