Britain’s top military leader says the world has changed and that it is more complicated. He also says that the third nuclear age is about to begin and that it will be much more complex than the previous ones.
Admiral Tony Radakin told a conference in London today that in this changing world, the West faces many difficulties and problems and that the foundations that have held back the threats of the last so-called nuclear age have been seriously undermined.
These are some of the points Radakin made in a speech at the conference of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world’s oldest military and defence think tank. The think tank was founded in 1831 by Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who fought against Napoleon at the time.
Multiple and interconnected problems
Radakin described the first nuclear age as a struggle between two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and the second century as an age of disarmament and attempts to counter the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“The dawn of the third nuclear age is approaching, and it is characterized by multiple and interconnected problems,” Radakin said, according to the AP news service. He was referring to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and changing technology that made atypical attacks possible, such as computer attacks.
Among the threats facing the West, according to Radakin, are Russia’s possible use of so-called “tactical nuclear weapons” in Ukraine, China’s nuclear build-up, the possible development of nuclear weapons in Iran, and North Korea’s “volatile” behavior.
At the same time, the number of cyberattacks, sabotage, and propaganda campaigns designed to undermine stability in the West had increased dramatically.
See also: Says Russia’s sabotage in Europe could lead to conflict
Radakin said that increased chaos was dividing the world’s countries into three different groups. In one group, there were mostly totalitarian states whose goal was to undermine international conventions and institutions. He specifically mentioned Russia, China, North Korea and Iran in that group.
In the second group, Radakin said they were “responsible” nations. These were mostly democracies and a few totalitarian states, such as in the Middle East, that wanted to work with others to maintain stability and security in the world.
The third group is formed of countries that tried to follow their own paths between the other two groups.
Said increased spending is necessary
The admiral said that NATO countries need to maintain their military superiority to ensure their deterrence and to defeat their enemies if necessary.
Radakin has been quoted by the BBC as saying he has called for increased spending on defence and defence reform in the UK. He reiterated that the cost of defence and increased deterrence was always lower than the cost of instability and potential conflict.
UK officials have pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP, but will not say when that goal will be reached. This would mean less money for other areas such as education and health care and would need a lot of political support, according to the BBC.
That is why Radakin said he wanted to make the British people aware of the threats they face.
“Do we understand what is at stake? Are we firm enough to act?”
