Tony Radakin Keynote Speaker

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin served as Chief of the Defence Staff from December 2021 to September 2025, becoming the first naval officer in two decades to lead the British Armed Forces. His tenure coincided with exceptional turbulence at home and abroad, as he advised four successive Prime Ministers amid a war in Europe, a deteriorating global security environment, and the return of great power competition.

Early in his tenure, Radakin travelled to Moscow to confront his Russian counterpart over the troop build-up on Ukraine’s border. After the full-scale invasion, he helped rally NATO allies to deliver military support to Ukraine. Known to President Zelensky as “the Admiral,” he became a trusted confidant of Ukraine’s military leadership. He travelled frequently between Kyiv, Washington, Brussels, and Paris to broker Western support, and he became a key driver of Europe’s “coalition of the willing.”

Radakin worked closely with defence chiefs from the Gulf region during the conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies. A consistent advocate of Atlantic-Pacific partnerships, he helped broker the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. In 2025, he became one of the few senior Western leaders to meet the head of the Chinese Armed Forces.

An instinctive reformer, Radakin sought to reshape the British Armed Forces for an era of sustained competition, prioritising a stronger nuclear deterrent, faster technology adoption, and a more agile, responsive leadership culture.