Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as the next Chief of the Defence Staff.
The official confirmation follows reports in UK media from a day before, that Adm. Radakin could take over the baton from General Sir Nicholas Carter.
“I’m delighted to congratulate Admiral Sir Tony Radakin on his appointment as Chief of the Defence Staff, a post he will take up on November 30,” UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said.
“Admiral 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.”
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the Armed Forces and principal military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the government. Adm. Radakin will be reporting to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister.
Admiral Tony is assuming the new role after serving as the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, overseeing the inaugural voyage of HMS Queen Elizabeth at the head of the Royal Navy’s new carrier strike group, which set sail in May.
“I am honored to be chosen to lead the armed forces in this exciting time and in a period of enormous change. The Prime Minister and Secretary of State have demanded reform and we must seize the opportunity the Government has given us and ensure we are a global force delivering for Global Britain,” Adm. Radakin commented.
Commissioned in 1990, Adm. Radakin’s 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 URNU, HMS NORFOLK, the Naval Training Team in Iraq, the Iraqi Maritime Task Force, Portsmouth Naval Base, and Commander of UK Maritime Forces and NATO’s High Readiness Maritime Component Commander.
His staff appointments have predominantly been in either joint or defense roles, including: operational planning at PJHQ, two tours as a Military Assistant, and two tours involving financial, capability and strategic force development. More recently, he was Chief of Staff of the Joint Forces Command (2016 – 2018) and Second Sea Lord (2018 – 2019).
“I am delighted to welcome Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as the next Chief of the Defence Staff. 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 Defence Staff,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said.
