Complex world situation British admiral speaks of a "third nuclear age"
During the Cold War, the situation was relatively stable, says Admiral Tony Radakin. Today, however, it is characterized by two trends.
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- Britain's top military officer, Admiral Tony Radakin, sees a "third nuclear age" approaching. And it has a lot to offer.
- While the world situation was relatively stable during the Cold War, it is far more complex today.
- He considers the spread of disruptive technologies to be particularly problematic in the absence of the security architectures that existed in the past.
The Chief of the British Defense Staff, Admiral Tony Radakin, sees the world at the beginning of a "third nuclear age". During the Cold War, the two superpowers kept each other in check through nuclear deterrence, while the decades that followed were characterized by international efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, Admiral Tony Radakin told the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) on Wednesday.
Today, however, is much more complex. The challenges are increasing, while security precautions are weakening.
"We are on the cusp of a third nuclear age," said Radakin. "It is characterized by multiple and simultaneous dilemmas, the proliferation of nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost complete absence of security architectures that existed in the past."
Cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation
Among the challenges facing the West are Russia's threat to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, China's efforts to increase its nuclear weapons stockpile, Iran's refusal to cooperate with international efforts to limit its nuclear program and North Korea's "unpredictable behavior".
Radakin described the deployment of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian forces on the Ukrainian border as the "most extraordinary development of the year" and warned that further deployments were possible. All of this was taking place against the backdrop of increasing cyber attacks, sabotage and disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilizing Western countries.
Radakin called for the UK to be aware of the seriousness of the threats it faces, even if the likelihood of a direct nuclear attack by Russia on the UK or its NATO allies is low. The Admiral called for further reforms to the British military to enable the UK to respond to the changing international situation. The UK must maintain its nuclear deterrent, which is "the part of our inventory that Russia knows most about and has more influence over (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else", he said.
