With the Strategic Defence Review finally concluded and published, the government has reportedly chosen its candidate to implement the recommendations and changes. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, currently Chief of the Air Staff, will replace Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and professional head of the armed forces later in the year. His task will be to lead Britain’s sailors, soldiers and airmen into a ‘new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence’.
Radakin had been appointed to a three-year term as CDS in 2021, but in March last year he agreed to stay on for an extra year. Summer 2025 was therefore pencilled in for the selection of his replacement; yet several unexpected factors still emerged. Last year, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Gwyn Jenkins, was chosen by Rishi Sunak to be the next National Security Adviser. This was thought likely to take him out of the running to be CDS, and his successor, General Dame Sharon Nesmith, raised the possibility of a female candidate.
The hardest fighting required of Knighton will be in the corridors of power
An obvious candidate would have been the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key.
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