Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-02)

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was Chief of the Defence Staff between December 2021 and September 2025, and was the first naval officer to lead the British Armed Forces for twenty years. His four years in post coincided with an extraordinary period for the nation, with four Prime Ministers, a general election and change of government, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and accession of King Charles III. Early in his tenure, Admiral Radakin travelled to Moscow to challenge his Russian counterpart over the build-up of forces on the border with Ukraine. In the weeks following the full-scale invasion, Admiral Radakin led efforts to rally NATO nations to deliver military aid to Ukraine, including a massive expansion of the UK-led infantry training programme. Over the subsequent four years he became a trusted confident of Ukraine’s military leadership, often shuttling between Kyiv, Washington, Brussels and Paris to broker Western support. Away from Europe, Admiral Radakin worked closely with defence chiefs from the Gulf region during the conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies. A consistent proponent of Atlantic-Pacific partnerships, in 2025 he became one of the few senior Western leaders to meet with the head of the Chinese Armed Forces. As a reformer and moderniser, Admiral Radakin sought to reshape the British Armed Forces for an era of constant competition, emphasising stronger nuclear deterrence, greater lethality and the faster adoption of drones and other disruptive technology.  Defence spending rose during his tenure, culminating in the government’s commitment to meet the NATO target of spending 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035. Prior to serving as CDS, Admiral Radakin was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from June 2019 until early November 2021, during which time he instigated a renewed Royal Navy presence around the globe, secured an expanded shipbuilding programme and helped broker the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1990, he served in numerous command and staff appointments, both ashore and afloat, and in command of UK and international forces. Operational tours have included the Iran/Iraq Tanker War, security duties in the Falklands, NATO operations in the Adriatic, countering smuggling in Hong Kong and the Caribbean, and three tours in Iraq – each in command. Born in Oldham, raised in Bristol and educated at Southampton University, Admiral Radakin is a qualified barrister with an MA in International Relations and Defence Studies. He lives in Hampshire with his wife and has four grown-up sons.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was Chief of the Defence Staff between December 2021 and September 2025, and was the first naval officer to lead the British Armed Forces for twenty years. His four years in post coincided with an extraordinary period for the nation, with four Prime Ministers, a general election and change of government, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and accession of King Charles III.

Early in his tenure, Admiral Radakin travelled to Moscow to challenge his Russian counterpart over the build-up of forces on the border with Ukraine. In the weeks following the full-scale invasion, Admiral Radakin led efforts to rally NATO nations to deliver military aid to Ukraine, including a massive expansion of the UK-led infantry training programme. Over the subsequent four years he became a trusted confident of Ukraine’s military leadership, often shuttling between Kyiv, Washington, Brussels and Paris to broker Western support.

Away from Europe, Admiral Radakin worked closely with defence chiefs from the Gulf region during the conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies. A consistent proponent of Atlantic-Pacific partnerships, in 2025 he became one of the few senior Western leaders to meet with the head of the Chinese Armed Forces.

As a reformer and moderniser, Admiral Radakin sought to reshape the British Armed Forces for an era of constant competition, emphasising stronger nuclear deterrence, greater lethality and the faster adoption of drones and other disruptive technology. Defence spending rose during his tenure, culminating in the government’s commitment to meet the NATO target of spending 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035.

Prior to serving as CDS, Admiral Radakin was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from June 2019 until early November 2021, during which time he instigated a renewed Royal Navy presence around the globe, secured an expanded shipbuilding programme and helped broker the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

Commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1990, he served in numerous command and staff appointments, both ashore and afloat, and in command of UK and international forces. Operational tours have included the Iran/Iraq Tanker War, security duties in the Falklands, NATO operations in the Adriatic, countering smuggling in Hong Kong and the Caribbean, and three tours in Iraq – each in command.

Born in Oldham, raised in Bristol and educated at Southampton University, Admiral Radakin is a qualified barrister with an MA in International Relations and Defence Studies. He lives in Hampshire with his wife and has four grown-up sons.