The Chief of the UK Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, believes that NATO must strengthen its deterrence strategy against Russia. He made this statement during a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, as reported by Sky News.
"There is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom. It is the same for the whole of NATO. Russia knows the response would be overwhelming, whether conventional or nuclear. The strategy of deterrence by NATO works and is working. But it has to be kept strong and strengthened against a more dangerous Russia," said Radakin.
According to him, nuclear deterrence is the part of the UK's capabilities that Russia is most aware of.
"The UK's nuclear deterrent is the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on Putin than anything else," he added.
He also mentioned China's growing nuclear weapons capabilities, Iran's nuclear ambitions, and North Korea's ballistic missile programme.
"But we are at the dawn of a third nuclear age which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies, and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before," he added.