Having been advanced to a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made General Officer Commanding Far East Land Forces with the rank of lieutenant general on 28 July 1966, tri-service Commander-in-Chief of Far East Command in 1967 and, having been promoted to full general on 29 March 1968, General Officer Commanding Southern Command on 12 May 1969. After being advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1970 Birthday Honours, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff on 1 April 1971 in which role he provided advice to the British Government on the response to the early stages of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Having been promoted to field marshal on 18 July 1973, he became Chief of the Defence Staff on 21 October 1973 before retiring in October 1976. In July 1977 he became a life peer as Baron Carver, of Shackleford in the County of Surrey.