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Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said he is “pleased” with how the evacuation from Sudan has gone, as the UK government announced an extra flight out of the war-torn nation on Monday.
More than 1,000 UK nationals could still be trapped in the country, even though about 2,122 people have already been flown out on 23 flights from an airfield near Khartoum since fighting began.
Rescue efforts, which were previously focused on the Wadi Saeedna site near the Sudanese capital, will move to the east of the nation, with a flight to leave on Monday from Port Sudan, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Sunday.
Speaking at RAF Odiham during a full-scale rehearsal for the king’s coronation, Admiral Radakin said the military was capable of preparing for the royal event and undertaking duties abroad.
“We’ve got the capacity to deal with lots of different things at different times. I was in Ukraine earlier this week and met my opposite number Gen [Valerii] Zaluzhnyi," he said.
“I accompanied the National Security Adviser Tim Barrow and we had a meeting with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy.
“We have also been involved in the evacuation from Sudan. And I’m pleased with how that has gone.
“We can do this ceremonial parade and at the same time we fulfil all of our operational duties to keep our nation safe and to help it prosper.”
The latest from the crisis in Sudan - in pictures
Asked if he would rule out military intervention in Sudan, Admiral Radakin said: “The armed forces respond to whatever is required.
“But this is what we call a non-combatant evacuation operation and it’s firmly remained in that space.”
After the government’s pledge in March to increase defence spending by £5 billion ($6.3 billion) over the next two years, he said the amount was “significant”.
“That’s additional money for defence at a time when there are economic pressures," Admiral Radakin said.
“It’s on the back of 24 billion extra that defence got a couple of years ago.
“You also had the government saying that in time, it wants to grow the percentage of GDP that’s spent on defence to 2.5 per cent.
“That’s really significant. I’m grateful for the additional funds that we’ve been given.
"And I’m really grateful for the clarity of the government that its intention is to grow defence spending to 2.5 per cent.”
