LONDON — Adm. Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC has been appointed new chief of the defense staff in the United Kingdom by the Queen, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in an Oct. 7 release. He will take over the post from Gen. Sir Nicholas Carter on Nov. 30.
Radakin has been the First Sea Lord and chief of naval staff since June 2019. Commissioned in 1990, his operational service has involved the Iran/Iraq Tanker War, security duties in the Falklands, NATO embargo operations in the Adriatic, countering smuggling in Hong Kong and the Caribbean, and three command tours in Iraq — both ashore and at sea. He has commanded from lieutenant to rear admiral of ashore, afloat and international forces. This includes HMS Blazer and Southampton University Royal Naval Units, HMS Norfolk, the Naval Training Team in Iraq, the Iraqi Maritime Task Force, Portsmouth Naval Base, and commander of U.K. Maritime Forces and NATO’s High Readiness Maritime Component Commander.
“I’m delighted to congratulate Adm. Sir Tony Radakin on his appointment as chief of the defense staff, a post he will take up on Nov. 30,” said U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. “Adm. Tony brings an unparalleled wealth of experience to the role at a time of significant change for the armed forces and Ministry of Defence. We are modernizing to address the challenges posed by an increasingly unstable world and I know he will lead the armed forces with distinction in his new post.
“Adm. Tony has been an outstanding First Sea Lord and chief of naval staff overseeing a period of transformation in the Royal Navy that has seen more ships deployed, for longer, all over the world,” Wallace said. “That includes the inaugural voyage of HMS Queen Elizabeth at the head of our new Carrier Strike Group, which set sail in May.”
“I am delighted to welcome Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as the next Chief of the Defence Staff,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “He has proven himself an outstanding military leader as First Sea Lord and chief of the naval staff and I have every confidence he will be an exceptional chief of the defense staff. Under his command we have more Royal Navy sailors on the front line, more warships at sea — including our two world-class aircraft carriers — and we are leading a shipbuilding renaissance which is creating jobs and protecting lives around the U.K.”
“I am humbled to have been selected as the next chief of the defense staff,” Radakin said. “It will be an immense privilege to lead our outstanding people who defend and protect the United Kingdom. I would like to thank Gen. Sir Nick Carter for his leadership and wise stewardship of the U.K.’s armed forces over the last three years.
“I am looking forward to working further with The Rt. Hon. Ben Wallace MP and the rest of the department’s senior leadership team as we modernize the armed forces and implement the integrated review. The government has given us clarity and additional resource to counter the threats we face as a nation. It is now time to get on and deliver.”
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