The former head of the British armed forces has warned that the submarines that carry the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent are operating well beyond their designed lifespans, leaving the country exposed at a time of rising global tension.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who stepped down as chief of the defence staff in early September after three years in the post, made the remarks in his first public speech since leaving office to the Institute for Government. He said successive governments had professed that the continuous at-sea deterrent was the nation’s top priority while the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class boats were being pushed to undertake unusually long patrols in “complex machines on the planet that are beyond their original design life.”
Radakin said the Royal Navy has four Vanguard-class submarines that were designed to last about 25 years but have been in service for nearly 40. Shortages of serviceable boats have forced those that remain to extend patrol lengths, he added, with crews routinely spending more than six months at sea. The longest recorded deployment by a British "bomber" submarine is thought to be a 204-day patrol in 2025, surpassing a 201-day record set the previous year. Returned boats have shown heavy marine growth on their hulls, and crews of roughly 130 face prolonged periods underwater, he said.
Senior naval sources and Radakin told the Institute for Government that the logistical stress on the fleet has led to parts being cannibalised from other boats to keep vessels operational, increasing the risk of a serious accident. He also criticised the speed at which repairs and maintenance are completed and said he had repeatedly raised those concerns with ministers while in post.
"There is something wrong when successive governments profess the nuclear continuously at sea deterrent is our highest priority but our sailors are having to put to sea for extraordinarily long patrols in some of the most complex machines on the planet that are beyond their original design life," Radakin said.
Beyond fleet readiness, Radakin used the speech to outline what he called a deteriorating global nuclear environment. He warned of a "third nuclear age" marked by increased incorporation of nuclear capabilities into military doctrines and by the erosion of longstanding arms-control agreements. He said violations by Russia and an absence of formal nuclear dialogue between the United States and China represented a dangerous gap in global security architecture.
"Most people my age grew up expecting nuclear proliferation. That never really happened. This third nuclear age includes an increasing presence of nuclear weapons in the policies and doctrines of our adversaries," he said, arguing for a stepped-up international approach to arms control.
Radakin also pointed to a range of near-term security challenges cited in his speech, including fighters from North Korea reported to be operating abroad, exchanges of strikes between Iran and Israel, and Houthi attacks on international shipping. He said some developments were positive, naming Ukraine’s resistance, NATO’s expansion and a coalition led by the UK and France as stabilising factors, and added that Britain remained "safe for now" because of the deterrent, NATO membership and the United States.
The Defence Ministry has not released an immediate, detailed response to Radakin’s speech. Ministers and military planners face long-running pressure to manage maintenance and shipbuilding schedules while the United Kingdom completes a generational replacement for the Vanguard boats. Radakin’s comments add to growing public scrutiny of the resilience of the country’s nuclear patrols and the state of the Royal Navy’s undersea fleet.