Latest news with #AdmiralSirTonyRadakin
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain should stay close to US to ward off Russian threat, says defence chief
Britain should stay close to the US to stand up to the threat from Russia, the Chief of the Defence Staff has said. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin's comments came after Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, told The Telegraph that people in Britain had 'better learn to speak Russian' if the Government did not drastically increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. Sir Tony, the head of the British military, appeared before the Commons defence select committee on Tuesday, where he was asked if he agreed with Mr Rutte's comments. He said such a scenario could be avoided by sticking close to America and strengthening Nato, telling MPs: 'We all accept that we are in this era of change. 'The piece that I think is so true and consistent for the UK is this security construct which is extraordinary and we should celebrate. 'We are a nuclear power. We are the world's largest and most powerful military alliance and we have as our principal ally the world's most powerful country on the planet. That's what keeps us safe. 'That's what we need to bind to, that's what we are doing, and that's what we need to strengthen so that we don't have the concerns that we are all going to be speaking Russian.' Sir Tony's remarks came as Rachel Reeves prepared to deliver her spending review, in which the Chancellor will set out the details of departmental spending, on Wednesday. However, Sir Tony, who steps down as CDS this autumn and will be replaced by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, refused to say whether he supported an uplift in defence spending to 3 per cent and beyond. Sir Tony also acknowledged the changing relationship between America and the UK, now that Donald Trump has asked the UK to shoulder more of the burden in Europe. Asked if the US withdrew, either entirely or partly, its contribution to Nato, would Europe be strong enough to 'match' Russia, Sir Tony said it was. However, he also insisted that 'America is sticking with Nato'. 'America is going to continue to provide all of us in Europe with the nuclear security guarantee,' he said, while cautioning that the US has other priorities, from homeland security to the Indo-Pacific. 'We no longer have that guarantee in terms of conventional American help for the security of Europe,' Sir Tony said. 'That is a significant change and that's why you are seeing Europe responding.'
BBC News
04-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
RAF chief Sir Richard Knighton to lead armed forces, BBC understands
Sir Richard Knighton has been chosen as the next Chief of the Defence Staff, the UK's most senior military officer role, the BBC understands. Sir Richard is set to replace Admiral Sir Tony Radakin who has been in the role since November will be expected to oversee major reforms as the government bolsters the UK's defence capability. An official announcement is expected in the coming days, once the decision has made its way through Royal Richard has been Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the Royal Air Force, since June 2023. The change in leadership comes as the government has pledged to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of national income by 2027. It has then set a goal of increasing that to 3% by Monday, the government outlined its defence strategy for the next decade. Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs billions of pounds would be invested to move the UK to "war-fighting readiness" in the face of a new era of threats from nuclear powers like Russia and Richard is known for having a particular focus on military capability. According to a biography on the government website, he joined the RAF in 1989 as a university cadet, and served as deputy chief of the defence staff from 2019 to 2022. Regarding the appointment, the Ministry of Defence said: "This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way."
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
RAF chief set to be new head of armed forces
The head of the RAF is set to be appointed as the new chief of the British armed forces, according to reports. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton is thought to be in line to be the next Chief of Defence Staff. The position is currently held by Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who has been in the role since 2021. According to his biography on the Government website, Sir Richard joined the RAF in 1989 as a university cadet, and served as deputy chief of the defence staff from 2019 to 2022. The appointment comes as the Government has pledged to increase defence spending in the UK to 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence from April 2027, with a goal of increasing that to 3% over the next parliament, a timetable which could stretch to 2034. The Ministry of Defence said: 'This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.'
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Starmer chooses RAF chief Sir Richard Knighton to lead armed forces
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has been chosen to be the next head of all three armed forces, The Independent understands. Sir Keir Starmer is understood to have picked the head of the RAF to lead the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as chief of the defence staff from this autumn. The appointment has not yet been officially announced, although it is expected to be confirmed soon, amid what has been billed as the most transformative period for the MoD in decades. It comes a day after the prime minister vowed to make Britain "a battle-ready, armour-clad nation' as he unveiled his strategic defence review (SDR), which included an army boosted to 100,000 personnel, 12 new submarines, drones and a rollout of Artificial Intelligence. Sir Richard, 56, is a career engineer who has been described as a 'defence bureaucrat' as well as the 'money guy' due to his ability to handle finances, with previous experience controlling the RAF's budget. He is known as a safe pair of hands and has also rolled out personnel reform in the service. The 56-year-old is understood to be taking command of all the services, unlike those previously in the post. He will take over from Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The ex-first sea lord has been in the role since November 2021, having spearheaded Britain mission to support of Ukraine, and pushed the Aukus submarine programme through government Sir Richard, a married father-of-two, was chosen over Army Chief General Sir Roly Walker, according to reports. The former SAS commander has been described as the 'ideas man' as well as having extensive operational experience, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sir Richard became the first non-pilot to lead the RAF and his official biography reportedly states that his only combat tour was 'a short stint as senior engineer officer in Italy during the Kosovo campaign'. However, a friend told The Times he is 'the right choice', adding: 'He is super smart, he is popular, he is very calm and strategic, and you don't get any of the wild strings of rhetoric and emotion.' They also described him as having 'his feet firmly on the ground', with an understanding of 'how to get things done in defence better than anyone'. An MoD spokesperson told The Independent: 'This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.'
