Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, has spoken of the pivotal role of Britain’s military in NATO’s collective defence.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Radakin outlined the UK’s contributions to NATO and the effectiveness of allied deterrence against a more dangerous Russia.
This autumn, two Royal Navy aircraft carriers were deployed simultaneously, with one leading NATO forces in the North Atlantic. Radakin highlighted their importance in maintaining NATO’s operational readiness and sending a clear signal to adversaries.
“The strategy of deterrence by NATO works and is working,” Radakin said. “But it has to be kept strong and strengthened against a more dangerous Russia.”
The carriers, alongside other NATO forces, have been instrumental in reinforcing the alliance’s collective security. Radakin noted the continued integration of UK assets into NATO operations as a demonstration of Britain’s commitment to the alliance.
Britain’s NATO Contributions
Radakin underscored the breadth of the UK’s involvement in NATO, which includes:
- NATO’s Largest Exercise in a Generation: Over 20,000 UK personnel participated, demonstrating the scale of Britain’s commitment.
- Operations: The Royal Navy and RAF have been active in the Middle East, with destroyers intercepting missiles in the Red Sea and RAF jets targeting Houthi positions in Yemen.
- Training: The UK continues to lead efforts like Operation INTERFLEX, which has trained 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and supports NATO’s deterrence operations in Eastern Europe.
Radakin praised the UK’s ability to deliver value from its defence budget, highlighting its leadership in operational capability and strategic foresight.
Radakin stressed that NATO’s deterrence strategy remains robust, with the UK playing a central role. He noted that the possibility of a direct Russian attack on NATO members, including the UK, is remote due to the alliance’s overwhelming response capabilities, whether conventional or nuclear.
“Russia knows the response would be overwhelming,” Radakin said. “Our investments in platforms like aircraft carriers and our contributions to NATO’s deterrence operations are central to this strength.”
Radakin finished up on the importance of maintaining the UK’s strategic edge within NATO. He praised the alliance’s unity and the UK’s ability to operate seamlessly across its initiatives, from carrier operations in the Atlantic to counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East.
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Hmmme….sort of.
RN is going through a spectacular low point in hull numbers. There needs to be a plan to get back up to 30 and train the crews.
RAF needs a kick up the ass to change doctrines to keep more frames in serviceable condition. Wearing out a very few frames by working them bonkers hard is the solution of an actuary and not a strategic planner. It only makes sense where CAPEX is so pinched.
Army needs to stop gold plating all its projects. As with getting Land Ceptor they then decides after the first few units they wanted something better and longer range. So the acquisition froze at low numbers. Really silly when it is so much more capable than Rapier ever was.
Or more simply, none of our forces is big enough for the expectations placed upon it. If Radakin refuses to articulate this and increase pressure on politicians to act, what is the point of him?
On current plans our forces will at best remain broadly at their current level. Even then, it will be several years before the RN gets back to 19 escorts. Most of the army equipment programmes won’t reach FOC before 2030. Apart from a further order of 24 F35s, the RAF appears to have no plan at all beyond hoping that Tempest works, sometime after 2035.
For the money spent, the forces are in a shocking state. Talking up the half empty carriers we can barely protect is the opposite of what the head of the armed forces should be doing.
Britain has been reducing its defence capabilities for twenty years and that process is not slowing. There is no money to “get hull numbers made to 30” … there likely isn’t money to get hull numbers back to 24. There is no money because there is no will. What has replaced money and will is rhetoric. That is the only thing not in short supply.
Britain has been reducing its defence capability for 70 years, this year marks the first time the budget has started to go back up.
What deterrence ? If there are no planes on them.
It’s a photo Micki, they show times in the past.
Great photo of two very empty carriers, sums it up really. A paper tiger living on past glory with no kit, not enough people and not enough ammo. It could be fixed but there is NO will to, just warm words. Sort of talk the Armed Forces up, make great wish lists, reviews but change nothing and hope no notices.
Interesting comments made by the CDS in the performance of F35, Israel with a smaller fleet on F35 that we have on order took out all Irans air defences with not a single loss. With Meteor and SPEAR our F35 will be even better than the F35i.
It’s worth remembering when every one is banging in about how shit the UK is and how the Queen Elizabeth class is not a “proper carrier”
The Queen Elizabeth class will soon be operating more F35 than any vessel on the planet and in a modern high intensity conflict 4th Gen fighters like Rafael and F18 will be largely irrelevant. The F35 is an Airforce in its own right able to perform every mission from air superiority and AEW to SEAD without the need for variants.
Israel took Iran air defences with F-15*16 with ALBM’s like Rampage, Air-LORA and others. I am not sure F-35i is cleared to fire those missiles.
The operative words from CDS are this “with no aircraft getting within 100 miles of the target”.
our carriers would be kept out of sight, they wouldn’t last a week if they became a relevant fighting force
What carriers enter combat and are not kept out of sight? Can you name any modern naval vessel that does not stay out of sight in combat?
You might notice that these carriers incorporate substantial radar and acoustic signature reduction measures to stay out of sight, do you think that’s a mistake?
I think you are really Mr Williams, the head.civil servant at the MOD, and I claim my prize!
Fed up of the 2 carriers and the continuous PR design to convince the world we still have a navy.
Sovereign missions are totally impossible now; how many Yank and Dutch escorts will be needed for CSG 2025 ?
To be honest though that shortfall has been destined ever since some genius gave the order to design into the type 23’s a miserably short hull life. So short in fact the last of 16 would have just got commissioned when the first was due to decommission a few years later. Bonkers.