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Tony Radakin

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Admiral

Sir Tony Radakin

KCB ADC
Admiral Radakin in 2024
Born (1965-11-10) 10 November 1965 (age 59)
Oldham, Lancashire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1990–present
RankAdmiral
Service numberC032545M[1]
CommandsChief of the Defence Staff
First Sea Lord
Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces
HMNB Portsmouth
Combined Task Force Iraqi Maritime
US/UK Naval Transition Team, Iraq
HMS Norfolk
Southampton URNU
HMS Blazer
Battles / warsIraq War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Bronze Star Medal (United States)
Alma materUniversity of Southampton (LLB)
King's College London (MA)
Spouse(s)
Louise Radakin
​
(m. 1995)​
Children4
Other workLord High Constable of England (2023)

Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin, KCB, ADC (born 10 November 1965) is a senior Royal Navy officer. He was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces, in November 2021. Radakin was previously the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service from June 2019 to November 2021. He was Chief of Staff, Joint Forces Command, from 2016 to 2018, and the Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff from 2018 to 2019. He was appointed Lord High Constable of England in 2023, and in that role took part in the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Radakin was born on 10 November 1965 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.[3][4][5] He moved to Portishead, Somerset, when he was five years old.[6] He was educated at St Brendan's College, then an all-boys state Catholic grammar school in Bristol.[3][6][7]

Radakin studied law at the University of Southampton, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1989.[3][7][8] He was sponsored through university by the Royal Navy.[8]

He continued his legal career alongside his naval service, and qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1996.[3][9]

He later studied international relations and defence studies at King's College London, completing a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 2000.[3][5][9]

[edit]
Vice Admiral Radakin as Second Sea Lord

Radakin gained his commission in the Royal Navy on 20 October 1990.[10][11] After a period watchkeeping on HMS Leeds Castle, he was navigating officer aboard HMS Charybdis and HMS Andromeda (1991–1992).[3] He was commanding officer of HMS Blazer from 1993 to 1995.[3] He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 November 1996,[12] and went on to become commanding officer of the frigate HMS Norfolk in 2003, commanding officer of the US/UK Iraqi Naval Transition Team in 2006, and commanding officer of the US/UK Combined Task Force Iraqi Maritime in 2010.[10] For this tour he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the President of the United States.[13]

Promoted to commodore on 30 August 2011,[14] Radakin became commander of HMNB Portsmouth in October 2011.[15] He was appointed Director of Force Development at the Ministry of Defence in November 2012.[16] Promoted to rear admiral on 3 December 2014,[17] he became Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Rear Admiral Surface Ships in December 2014,[10][18] and Chief of Staff, Joint Forces Command, in March 2016.[16][19]

Promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 27 March 2018 on appointment as Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff,[20][21] Radakin was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2018 Birthday Honours three months later.[22] He was promoted to admiral and succeeded Admiral Sir Philip Jones as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in June 2019.[4][23][24]

In 2019, Radakin initiated a programme of reform across the Royal Navy under the banner of Royal Navy Transformation. The initiative encompassed increasing the UK's operational advantage in the North Atlantic, developing carrier strike operations using the newly constructed aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, increasing the Royal Navy's forward presence around the world, reforming the Royal Marines into the Future Commando Force and improving the Navy's use of technology and innovation.[25] Controversially, this also included a forty percent reduction in admirals across the Royal Navy and a forty percent cut in headquarters staff.[26]

Radakin was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2021 Birthday Honours.[27]

Chief of the Defence Staff

[edit]
Radakin and UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on 11 February 2022

Radakin was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff on 30 November 2021.[28] Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Radakin instead of the Ministry of Defence's preferred candidate, General Sir Patrick Sanders, due to Radakin's reputation as a reformer and Johnson's anticipation of future naval conflicts in the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific regions.[29][30] Radakin relinquished the position of First Sea Lord to Admiral Sir Ben Key on 8 November 2021.[31]

Radakin made his first Chief of Defence Staff speech to the Royal United Services Institute in December 2021. He stated that the security outlook for the UK was "far more complex and dangerous than at any time over the past 30 years" and that the geopolitical situation was in "a real sense of back to the future, with the return of the State as the central, indispensable feature of the international system."[32][33] Radakin also said that the UK military was at risk of looking "ridiculous" until it improved diversity and leadership in the armed forces.[34]

Radakin said on 7 January 2022 that the UK faced a number of security challenges from Russia, and that an attempt to damage underwater communication cables could be considered by the UK as an "act of war".[35] However, he also said that the UK and Russia continue to test daily the telephone connection between the UK Ministry of Defence and the Russian Situation centre, which could be used "if urgent talks were needed to de-escalate an incident."[5]

Radakin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Kyiv, Ukraine on 19 November 2022

On 11 February 2022, Radakin met with Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Gerasimov denied that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine.[36]

Asked on the BBC's Sunday Morning programme shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine whether Russia taking over Ukraine was inevitable, Radakin said: "No. I think we’ve seen a Russian invasion that is not going well".[37] Later, on 31 March 2022, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "already lost" the war in Ukraine due to "catastrophic misjudgments."[38] In June 2022, Radakin answered questions from the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee.[39] He said that, following support for Ukraine, replacing the weapons stockpiles of the UK could take "years" to achieve and that it may also be "five to ten years" before the UK was ready to deploy a division with sufficient capabilities to fight with US forces.[39]

In July 2022, he said "As military professionals, we see a relatively stable regime in Russia. President Putin has been able to quash any opposition. We see a hierarchy that is invested in President Putin and so nobody at the top has got the motivation to challenge President Putin. And that is bleak."[40]

Radakin at the Coronation of Charles III in 2023

In September 2022, Radakin paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death.[41][42] He described the relationship between the Queen and the armed forces as "deeply personal" and that the armed forces would perform their final duty to the Queen by participating in her state funeral.[41][42]

On 19 October 2022, Radakin delivered the annual Lord Mayor of London Defence and Security Lecture in Mansion House, London.[43] He discussed the wider security situation in Europe, focusing on Ukraine and Russia.[43][44]

In light of the 2022 strikes, Radakin, said it would be "slightly perilous" to expect the UK Armed Forces to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers. "We're not spare capacity," he said. "We're busy and we're doing lots of things on behalf of the nation. We've got to focus on our primary role."[45]

Radakin served as Lord High Constable of England at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.[46]

In September 2023, Radakin was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Merit by the United States. The honour was presented by General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[47]

It was announced in February 2024 that Radakin would stay in post as Chief of the Defence Staff until autumn 2025 after proving to be a key player in helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia.[48]

In July 2024 he criticised "historic underinvestment" in the British Armed Forces leading to "deficiencies in people, equipment, stockpiles, training and technology".[49][50]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1995, Radakin married. He lives in Hampshire with his wife, Louise, and their four sons, born between 1998 and 2005.[3][5] Radakin is president of the Royal Navy Squash Association and the Armed Forces Tennis Association, and the vice admiral of the Royal Naval Sailing Association.[51]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B3.
  2. ^ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Radakin, Adm. Sir Antony David, (Sir Tony)". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2023. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U282403. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b "Admiral Tony Radakin CB ADC". Government of the United Kingdom. Ministry of Defence. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019. First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
  5. ^ a b c d Brown, Larisa (31 July 2024). "Admiral Sir Tony Radakin: 'We check every day that the line to Russia works — but there isn't a chat'". The Times. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Murphy, Ralph. "Most Famous Old Boys: Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin, KCB, ADC". Sancti Brendani. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b Sheridan, Danielle (7 October 2021). "Tony Radakin: The state school-educated boy from Oldham who 'changed how the Navy works'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b Brown, Larisa (31 July 2024). "Admiral Sir Tony Radakin: 'We check every day that the line to Russia works — but there isn't a chat'". The Times. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "New military chiefs appointed". GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Rear Admiral Tony Radakin" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  11. ^ "No. 52353". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 December 1990. p. 18701.
  12. ^ "No. 54637". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1996. p. 1.
  13. ^ "No. 59554". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 2010. p. 18540.
  14. ^ "No. 59898". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 2011. p. 16983.
  15. ^ "Naval base commander seen off in style". Navy News. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Ministry of Defence and tri-service senior appointments" (PDF). July 2022. p. 19.
  17. ^ "No. 61071". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 December 2014. p. 23726.
  18. ^ "Fleet awards". Royal Navy. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  19. ^ "Chief of Staff Joint Forces Command Visits The Rock". Your Gibraltar TV. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  20. ^ "No. 62252". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 April 2018. p. 6366.
  21. ^ "Admirals (list)" (PDF). July 2023. p. 1.
  22. ^ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B3.
  23. ^ "New First Sea Lord appointment announced". Royal Navy, Ministry of Defence. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  24. ^ Nicholls, Dominic; Mendick, Robert (3 December 2018). "A 'generation of innovators' has been appointed to run the military in a shake-up of the top ranks of the Army, Navy and RAF". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  25. ^ Radakin, Tony (11 September 2019). "First Sea Lord speech to Defence and Security Equipment International". Royal Navy, Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  26. ^ Johnson, Jamie (30 January 2020). "Royal Navy to halve number of staff at headquarters, as sailors are redeployed to front line roles". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  27. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B2.
  28. ^ "Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC appointed new Chief of the Defence Staff". UK Ministry of Defence. 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ Parker, George (2 October 2021). "UK military chiefs battle to become next head of armed forces". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  30. ^ Sheridan, Danielle (8 October 2021). "PM went against MOD to appoint Radakin". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Royal Navy welcomes new First Sea Lord". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. 8 November 2021.
  32. ^ Haynes, Deborah (7 December 2021). "UK security outlook more dangerous now than at any time in past 30 years, warns new head of armed forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin". Sky News. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Chief of the Defence Staff Speech to the Royal United Services Institute". Ministry of Defence. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  34. ^ Brown, Larisa (31 July 2024). "Admiral Sir Tony Radakin: Improve diversity or we'll look ridiculous, urges new defence chief". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  35. ^ Whiteside, Philip (8 January 2022). "Russian submarines threatening undersea network of internet cables, says UK defence chief Sir Tony Radakin". Sky News. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  36. ^ Foreman, John (5 March 2023). "Britain's most recent defence attaché in Moscow on the failings of Valery Gerasimov". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  37. ^ Giordano, Chiara (7 March 2022). "Putin victory in Ukraine 'no longer inevitable,' says head of Britain's Armed Forces". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  38. ^ Jackson, Jon (31 March 2022). "Putin Made 'Catastrophic Misjudgments' in Ukraine: U.K. Military Official". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  39. ^ a b McKeon, Christopher (22 June 2022). "Replacing UK's weapons stockpiles could take 'years', says head of armed forces". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  40. ^ "Russia Has Lost 50,000 Soldiers In Ukraine, U.K. Military Chief Says". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  41. ^ a b Merrington, Jacqui (8 September 2022). "Royal Navy to play special role in Queen's funeral". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  42. ^ a b Duggan, Joe (9 September 2022). "The Queen's military titles: What happens to the honours held by Elizabeth II after her death aged 96". i. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  43. ^ a b "Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Mayor of London Defence & Security Lecture". Government of the United Kingdom, Ministry of Defence. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  44. ^ "British defence chief: Putin's nuclear rhetoric "deeply irresponsible"". Reuters. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  45. ^ Zeldin-O'Neill, Sophie (18 December 2022). "Army should not be used as 'ultimate backstop' in strikes, defence chief says". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  46. ^ "Roles to be performed at the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey". The Royal Family. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  47. ^ "Head of UK Armed Forces honoured with United States' highest distinction for foreigners". British Forces Broadcasting Service. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  48. ^ Brown, Larisa (29 February 2024). "British military chief helped Zelensky destroy Russian war ships". ISSN 0140-0460.
  49. ^ Bodkin, Henry (23 July 2024). "Army 'not as strong as it could be', says Armed Forces chief". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  50. ^ Sengupta, Kim (23 July 2024). "British army not as strong as it should be, admits defence chief". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  51. ^ "Admiral Tony Radakin CB ADC". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
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Military offices
Preceded by Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by First Sea Lord
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Defence Staff
2021–present 		Incumbent
Court offices
Vacant
Title last held by
The Viscount Alanbrooke 		Lord High Constable of England
2023 		Incumbent
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