Tony Radakin
The Guardian
What holds, and what fails, under pressure, standards and accountability.
Tony Radakin is the former Chief of the Defence Staff of the UK, responsible for overseeing the armed forces. This interview reveals his commitment to protecting national interests and maintaining strong international relationships, showcasing his role as a stabilizing force in defense leadership.
“That was a difficult one. I think the most difficult are deaths. So whether that's deaths through training or deaths with accidents, there's a responsibility. I remember when I was first sea lord and the Royal Navy we were responsible for a young army diver losing his life.”
“To say, can you let the Lebanese Chief of Defence know that we will go into Lebanon? We won't go further than five miles, but he needs to remove all of the Lebanese army from that border post and to clear at least five miles.”
“There's a lot to learn, particularly the Israeli penetration of those terrorist organizations. Then the willingness to act and in a military terms the success of those so taking down Lebanese Hezbollah in Lebanon taking on the hooties.”
“So I think the dilemma is, I'm the Chief of Defence, you've got this responsibility to keep the country safe. And we are safe. The UK is safe because we're a nuclear power. We're in NATO. We're in the biggest and strongest gun club ever, and our principal ally is America the strongest nation on the planet.”
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson — China, Russia and us: Tony Radakin on four years as Chief of the Defence Staff
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