The Vice Chief of the Defence Force is Lieutenant General David Hurley AO DSC.

The Vice Chief of the Defence Force is the military deputy to the Chief of the Defence Force and acts as the Chief of the Defence Force in his absence under standing acting arrangements.

The VCDF role is to focus on Defence business at the strategic level, specifically on supporting the Government and CDF. The VCDF performs a number of key functions, including: developing policy guidance on future commitments to enable CDF to manage the operating tempo of the ADF, including liaison with other Government agencies, Allies and coalition partners at the strategic level; managing joint logistics; managing joint capabilities and providing input to joint capability development.

The Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group consists of Joint Logistics Command, Military Strategic Commitments Division, Reserve and Employer Support Division, and Joint Education Training and Warfare Command.

Legislation relevant to Defence and the Vice Chief of the Defence Force Executive is available in the Defence Act 1903.