NATO’s deterrence strategy ‘is working’: UK defense staff chief

ISTANBUL

UK Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin said Wednesday that the possibility of Russia attacking Britain and other NATO allies is low, stressing that the alliance’s deterrence strategy is working.

“Russia knows the response would be overwhelming, whether conventional or nuclear. The strategy of deterrence by NATO works and is working. But it has to be kept strong and strengthened against a more dangerous Russia,” Radakin said during an annual lecture at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world’s oldest and the UK’s leading defense and security think tank.

Describing the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian border on the Russian side as “this year’s most extraordinary development,” he said the cooperation between Russia and North Korea could lead to increased trade in technology and expertise between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Radakin said the UK is not facing “an existential threat like Ukraine or Israel.”

“We are protected by our maritime geography and the strength in depth of an Alliance with a landmass stretching from the fringes of the Arctic to the Eurasian steppe.”

He noted that “the security outlook is more contested, more ambiguous and more dangerous than we have known in our careers,” adding “nowhere is this more apparent than in the nuclear domain.”

“The first nuclear age – the Cold War – was defined by two opposing blocs governed by the risk of uncontrollable escalation and the logic of deterrence. The second nuclear age was governed by disarmament efforts and counter-proliferation.

“But we are at the dawn of a third nuclear age which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies, and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before,” he added.

“Nuclear non-proliferation has been one of the great successes of international security since the end of the Second World War but is now being challenged. It has been successful because of states that took their international responsibilities seriously, and those, like Britain and the United States, who were willing to extend their nuclear umbrella to allies and partners and guarantee their security. This must continue,” Radakin said.

He pointed to the steps taken by Iran, North Korea, Russia and China in the nuclear field as global threats.

He also underscored the importance of defense reform, saying the UK is still “too slow, too cautious, too risk adverse.”

Noting that he made a similar statement in 2021, he said there has been no deviation from that point.

Radakin said the processes that hinder those doing the necessary work must be eliminated to implement reforms.

He stressed the importance of addressing institutional shortcomings and pointed out that a culture valuing strength and speed must be developed.

He also said that prioritizing technology, science and international cooperation would be beneficial for reforms, adding that global risks have increased and the world has become a more dangerous place.