Tony Radakin

Biography

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the UK Armed Forces, from 2021 to 2025. He was the first naval officer in two decades to hold the post. He served four prime ministers, through a change of government, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. His wide-ranging experience of conflict and international relations, the changing nature of security and defence, leadership and geopolitics give him a particular perspective on the concerns, choices and planning all organisations and leaders need to consider.

Ahead of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sir Tony travelled to Moscow to confront his Russian counterpart over the military build-up on Ukraine's border. When the invasion came, he helped rally allied nations to send military support and oversaw a major expansion of the UK-led programme to train Ukrainian troops. He became a trusted adviser to Ukraine's military leadership, working between Kyiv, Washington, Brussels and Paris to hold Western support together, and he remains a regular visitor to Ukraine. Further afield, he worked with Gulf defence chiefs during the conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies. He has also met with the head of China's armed forces, one of very few senior Western figures to do so.

A moderniser by instinct, Sir Tony pushed the UK military to prepare for an era of constant competition, with a stronger nuclear deterrent, greater lethality and much faster adoption of drones and other disruptive technology. Defence spending rose on his watch, paving the way for the government's commitment to reach 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035. Prior to becoming Chief of the Defence Staff he served as First Sea Lord, in which role he returned the Royal Navy to a global presence, secured an expanded shipbuilding programme, helped broker the AUKUS agreement between the UK, Australia and the United States, and championed the ‘hybrid navy’ model that blends crewed ships with uncrewed systems.

Commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1990, Sir Tony held command and staff appointments afloat and ashore, leading both British and international forces. His operational service ranges from the Iran/Iraq Tanker War and the Falklands to NATO operations in the Adriatic, counter-smuggling work in Hong Kong and the Caribbean, and three tours in Iraq, each in command. Born in Oldham and raised in Bristol, he studied at Southampton University and is a qualified barrister with an MA in International Relations and Defence Studies.

Sir Tony brings both experience and a candid, measured and often reassuring perspective. He explains where the real threats lie and why Britain's security rests on its nuclear deterrent, NATO and its alliance with the United States. He also speaks about the realities of advising prime ministers with very different styles, and about the knock-on effects of Europe's rearmament for business and investors, from defence technology to supply chains.