Scottish independence would damage UK defence and capabilities, says MOD report

A new report by the Ministry of Defence highlights the importance of an integrated approach to defence and claims that an independent Scotland would no longer benefit from Britain’s £34 billion defence industry.

Under Future Force 2020 Scotland will be home to one of three Royal Navy main bases, including all its submarines, one of the British Army’s seven adaptable force brigades and one of three Royal Air Force fast jet main operating bases. Furthermore, during a speech in Edinburg yesterday defence secretary Philip Hammond said that a yes vote would be “blighting the futures of thousands of families across Scotland” with thousands of jobs at risk.

“The Scottish people deserve to know what the impact of independence would be on the jobs and livelihoods of the many thousands of people in Scotland that are employed in the UK Armed Forces or in the defence industry that equips and supports them,” said Hammond.

“Less than a year before the Scottish people go to the ballot box to take one of the most important decisions in the history of Scotland, the Scottish Government’s plans remain insultingly vague – a 2-page wish list that is neither costed nor credible.

“The security of the Scottish people is too important to be ducked and dodged.”

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, RUSI’s Research Director, said that the analysis paper has raised the bar for Scotland’s whitepaper on independence due in November. Chalmers says that even the “best scenario” would see Scotland “remain highly dependent on the rest of the UK to support its defence capability for many years.”