Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has formally stepped down as Chief of the Defence Staff, closing a 40-year career in uniform that spanned command at sea, reform in Whitehall, and leadership through one of the most turbulent periods in recent British history.
His handover to Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton took place on 2 September, according to a Royal Navy news update.
To mark the occasion, Radakin returned to his first command, HMS Blazer, for a final voyage up the River Thames with his family. Tower Bridge was raised in tribute. Lieutenant Jack Dilworth, one of the Navy’s youngest commanders, hosted the symbolic farewell and said: “It is a real privilege and honour to be able to celebrate Admiral Radakin’s retirement from the service, taking him back to remember where it all started in HMS Blazer.”
Radakin was the first naval officer to hold the top job in two decades. His time in post spanned four prime ministers, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the accession of King Charles III, and the 2023 Coronation where he served as Lord High Constable of England.
He took office in late 2021 and was quickly confronted by the Russian build-up to war in Ukraine. The Royal Navy news update recalled how Radakin travelled to Moscow to meet General Valery Gerasimov in early 2022, then helped to rally NATO in the months that followed. He forged close working ties with Ukrainian commanders and, alongside French General Thierry Burkhard, helped establish the Coalition of the Willing framework to sustain Kyiv.
His tenure also stretched far beyond Europe. Radakin worked with Gulf allies during conflict in the Middle East, met senior Chinese defence leaders in Beijing earlier this year, and oversaw UK operations that ranged from evacuations in Sudan to strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen and humanitarian missions in Gaza.
Reflecting on his departure, Radakin said: “My abiding reflection from my four years as CDS is that the Armed Forces have stepped up to deliver all that was asked of them, at home and abroad. They are magnificent. Thank you to them, and their families, and the Civil Servants who support them.”
He added: “Looking back over my 40 years in the Navy, I am more convinced than ever the Armed Forces offers an amazing career for young people today. To all those at the start of their careers in the Royal Navy, Army and RAF, my message is to be bold, be ambitious, be demanding of yourselves and of your leadership, and always keep pushing to go further and faster.”
Defence Secretary John Healey also paid tribute, stating that Radakin leaves behind a record of leadership, reform, and resilience that will shape the UK’s Armed Forces for years to come.
A poor CDS – all of the services have been left vastly weaker at the end of his tenure. ‘Service before self’ ?
He was given very little to work with, in his defence.
I’m not sure I agree. If you’re given limited resources, and I don’t use the phrase ‘limited resources’ lightly given how much money we’re talking about, to do all that we expect our military to do; to help shape the multi-domain armed forces everyone expects us to have, is a thankless, poison chalice IMHO. It’s only recently, since we’ve seen this (pardon the pun) sea-change in thinking towards defense spending, might we hope for an improvement in the situation. His replacement will, however, have a similar challenge on his hands, should the current government continue to posture over expenditure without handing the hard cash over. Juggling with Jelly comes to mind, wet sand even!
DP,
Absolutely concur w/ your assessment. Realistically, how much fault re lapsed capabilities can be attributed to professional military leaders, leading an organization that has been placed metaphorically on half-rations by successive HMGs, for literally a generation?!? The paraphrased old adage re the UK military may be applicable: “Lions led (and equipped) by (,political) donkeys .”. Fortunately, the tide has turned.
Hmmm… evidently a remedial punctuation tutorial would be in order…(political) donkeys.” 🙄 Typing on a cellphone can be an interesting vision test. 😳😁
Has the tide turned? How so? Or do you mean the tide in thinking about doing something?
That has been my experience in dealings with him.
A prime example of a politician stuffed into a uniform, happy to shaft any service and any individual for personal advancement.
What nonsense. It is Government policy, and the policy of successive Governments that has led us to where we are today. Admiral Radakin is not in any way responsible. He has been a brilliant Naval Officer and a first class CDS.
1. Defence spend has been profligate and wasteful – does he and the service heads not have any budgetary control? 2. Recruitment via Capita has been a disaster
Unfair comment. He has tried hard to develop and update, look what is coming before making those type of comments. Any CDS has to fight the treasury’s mindless stupidity with lack of investment. At least there is a plan!!!!
For those of us who’ve served and see the sheer waste of resources – Tri messes still across defence estate, (day rate project managers, scrum masters, business analysts) on projects that get binned (mosquito, Warrior), outsourcing of training and recruitment, the waste that is DEI, mass recruitment of legads – all whilst we bin off swathes of capability. We barely have a USP anymore which points to a lack of strategy, we have too many capability gaps and centres of gravity. This points to poor leadership and someone that hasn’t either created a strategy or made the right arguments. A very poor CDS – who leaves with a lovely pension whilst leaving the 3 services barely capable of lasting a month against a peer threat
I have served this country my entire working life from 17 until today 44 years of serving. Yeas you are correct about waste across all the Services but to blame it on last CDS is wrong he had inherited a disaster of many Government making. Since I first went to sea at the start of the 1980 all 3 services have been under tremendous pressure and it will continue. If you wish to be critical be critical of TG of the can do approach from all heads of service and for lack of joined up thinking or changing equipment specs at last minute or allowing civil servants and politicians to take a knife and hack lumps of procurement and training. I will retire in less than 8 months and will have completed 44yrs and 5 months at sea.
Many congratulations on your retirement. Seeing an entire fleet of Puma 2s going without replacement with trained pilots spending 2 years in holding is sole destroying. Seeing an RN completing the life extension of Argyle then scrapping is nonsense. All I see is incompetence and waste whilst our fighting capabilities erode.
You are right I was a submariner for 11 years of my 14 in the RN and was made redundant before being asked back after 18 months later. By then however I had retainer and was at sea with the RFA. Waste of the MODs biggest weakness and it will require a complete step change to resolve and I don’t think this country will ever be able to achieve that as our political leaders have no clue or understanding and there is no real appreciate of what is needed.
Mike we all thank you for your years of dedicated service. 44 Years is a long Draft.
You can have the Best Kit & The Best Ships but it’s Jolly Jack that makes the Difference!!! BZ
Agree and they are getting fewer by the year because no one wants to go to sea anymore because we do not sell the benefits
Its ok we got more Admirals than ship now, when he joined we had a great navy, not so when he left. I know lets blame the MOD and the Government. When have those in charge in services ever take the blame for its not great state. Always some else fault, never happened on their watch etc. 40 years of service is a lot, most of his life so that its self should be remembered though.
Do you want to have another go at typing that ?
Take it slow, maybe just use the one toe ?
We have had more admirals than ships for years even back in Mrs Thatcher’s days!!
true but at least we had a few more ships then,
What did he actually achieve that he will be remembered for as being better than any of the other CDS post Cold War?
Cannot think of anything?
They all preside over cuts, make excuses, and do as their political masters bade.
A thankless task.
Sadly spot on, all the CDS’s have let the side down and said nothing. Which is it self or service?. Be nice if just one said yeah it got worse under me. Why do want one to say that? because those that were in the military knows is got worse, smaller and we all told at some point to put up and shut up or make do and mend when we could see how much mess it was in. Whilst having visits by top brass telling us all is good every thing is better and standing there listening to this crap.
Let’s see what comes out in the equipment purchase shopping list due soon.
If it has been laying the groundwork for sorting the mess out then it will have been worthwhile.
That what i am waiting for, what is ordered end of the year in to next year. That will clearly show if the MOD/Government are serious or just all talk. Until then its what if’s may be’s. I doubt it will be an massive amount but the right few orders can address a lot issues. Sadly after so many years we kind have a feeling its not going to go too well, i hope we are all wrong.
He rallied the politicos on Ukraine. From Johnson to Starmer, our politicians have been uniform on that one issue, and much of the credit for that goes to Wallace then Radakin. At one point I think he’d even convinced Grant Shapps.
I prefer Wallace from the two.
Even he presided over cuts, yet also got things done and got concessions from the main enemy, the Treasury.
He spoke sense to me, anyway.
Radakin? I remember him for calling for Battalions of Rockets in the RA ( the RA don’t have Battalions )
Even if it’s not his service, he should know. Or his advisors should.
He seemed indifferent to the need for mass, no doubt at his masters bidding.
Has there been a popular CDS in recent times?
I only really remember them from Inge onwards, and Lord Hill Norton way before that, for different reasons.
Horrible job to be given.Papering over the cracks across 3 services as he talked up the jam tomorrow capabilities.A 25 year defence plan that is brutally truthful about all aspects of defence between now and 2050 is still desperately needed.It has to transcend polititcs and be ring fenced like the nuclear deterrent.Painful choices about what UK can and should do at home and abroad militarily.
Good riddance. What do any of these political appointments achieve? Zero, instead of challenging they bow down and lick booty. Meanwhile the forces are cut to the bone. More good riddance.
Will the real 🇬🇧 please stand up!
The boy did good – for himself.
Oversaw the further decline in the UK Armed Forces.
I see no reason to celebrate his career
He was a communist fascist kommissar who put diversity before warfare. If it were up to me he would’ve been sent to the glasshouse.