Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Radakin highlighted NATO’s dominance while warning against complacency as the alliance expands and strengthens.
Radakin noted that NATO’s combined capabilities “outmatch Russia by orders of magnitude” in conventional warfare, bolstered by the addition of Finland and Sweden and increased military investments from Poland, Germany, and others.
Contrasting this with Russia’s struggles in Ukraine, he remarked: “Over 1,000 days into the 3-day Special Military Operation, Russia’s air force rarely flies over Ukraine and relies on crude glide bombs for devastating tactical effect but without creating nearly the same strategic and operational dilemmas.”
Radakin pointed to Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran as a model of modern warfare. Israel’s use of over 100 aircraft and precision munitions destroyed Iran’s air defence capabilities and ballistic missile production in a single sortie without risking aircraft within 100 miles of the target.
“That is the power of fifth-generation aircraft, combined with exquisite targeting and extraordinary intelligence,” Radakin said, contrasting this with Russia’s outdated tactics.
While NATO’s growing strength is a significant advantage, Radakin cautioned that expansion could lead to a rigid, monolithic structure. “The risk is that as NATO strengthens, it becomes monolithic and loses the aptitude for the kind of agility and innovation that is an advantage for the west,” he said.
Radakin challenged NATO to avoid uniformity, asking, “Does SACEUR want an Alliance of 32 ‘mini-me’s’? Or can we use NATO’s size to take more risk and constantly search for a winning edge?”
UK’s Leading Role
Radakin outlined how the UK could spearhead innovation within NATO, highlighting initiatives aimed at maintaining the Alliance’s edge:
British Army: Plans to double its lethality by 2027 and triple it by 2030 through innovative approaches.Royal Navy: Experimentation with wave gliders for North Atlantic surveillance and hybrid maritime strike operations using jets and drones.Strategic Command: Efforts to exponentially increase the number of targets NATO can engage using better data integration and analytics.
“Even our low stockpiles are greater than the number of targets we can currently generate. We are not world-leading. But we can be,” Radakin said.
Radakin emphasised that NATO must use its collective strength to maintain a disruptive edge in every domain. “In all this striving and taking risks to do more and better, NATO will still be safe. It will still outmatch Russia by orders of magnitude,” he said.
The Chief of Defence Staff concluded by underscoring the UK’s unique position to lead within NATO, balancing strength with innovation to ensure the Alliance remains dominant and adaptable. “This should be NATO’s goal in every domain and capability, and the UK is uniquely placed to both play our part and look to lead the way,” he said.
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