Scotland is experiencing a “new era of confidence and investment in the defence sector”.
“Record UK Government spending on defence has led to major MOD investment in Scotland, primarily at HMNB Clyde and RAF Lossiemouth.”
The Scottish Affairs Committee has published a new report with recommendations to the UK government. The UK Government has two months to respond.
“Clyde is in the midst of a £1.6 billion infrastructure project—which will see its personnel grow from 7,000 to 8,200—and has become home to the UK’s entire submarine service. Lossiemouth—which in 2011 was at threat of closure—has now become a ‘superbase’, receiving £470m in infrastructure investment. It is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert stations protecting UK airspace and has become home to four Typhoon squadrons, two Poseidon squadrons and, in 2023, will welcome the new E-7 Wedgetail aircraft. Scotland’s contribution is vital to the defence of the UK and pivotal to the UK’s contribution to NATO.
The defence landscape in Scotland is not limited to the MOD’s activities; there is also significant defence activity in the private sector amongst both prime contractors and SMEs who are able to benefit from increases in MOD investment. MOD spending with Scottish industry was close to £2 billion in 2020/21, which was almost 10% of the MOD’s total spending with industry that year; higher than Scotland’s 8% population share of the UK. We heard that the UK’s status on the world stage is very dependent on the defence industry facilities it has in Scotland. That said, defence SMEs in Scotland are currently losing out. The MOD admits that Scotland accounts for a small proportion of the MOD’s spending with SMEs. Only 2.5% of the MOD’s total spending with UK SMEs in 2020/21 was spent in Scotland, far lower than Scotland’s population share of the UK. We heard that culture change was needed in the MOD, and in its prime contractors, to address perceptions of engrained hesitancy towards working with Scottish SMEs.”
The report also adds that the MOD has embarked on a great rationalisation of its bases across the UK, including in Scotland.
“It says it is working hard to deliver a fit for purpose, affordable and smaller defence estate, with the goal of a 30% reduction by 2040. MOD Caledonia, Forthside Barracks and Meadowforth Barracks are scheduled for closure in Scotland this year, followed by Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks in 2029 and Fort George in 2032 (although some bases may be retained in part). We heard that the impacts of base closures depend on where they are. In prosperous areas bases can become much-needed sites for housing or businesses but, in less affluent areas, the consequences can be damaging and long-lasting, exacerbating falling and ageing population challenges facing much of rural Scotland. The MOD should intensify its collaboration efforts with all Scottish local authorities facing base closures and base expansions, and engage with them at earlier stages in those processes, for example by jointly producing and acting on impact assessments.”
Collaboration between the UK and Scottish governments on defence matters is viewed very differently between governments, however.
“While the UK Government says it is committed to working closely and positively with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Government says that, although MOD basing decisions often have consequences for devolved areas of policy, the UK Government is failing to maximise opportunities through robust intergovernmental dialogue that would bring benefits to both governments. The MOD admits that collaboration on defence matters has suffered disruption due to the pandemic, but is keen to do better. For the benefit of military communities who rely on locally-provided services, and communities nearby to MOD bases who share the same local services, it is important that collaboration improves.”
The report also points out that military personnel and their families can face many challenges when moving bases between England and Scotland—for example in relation to child education (due to differing education systems and learning styles), the transfer of healthcare between NHS services, differing income tax rates and spousal employment, especially the transfer of professional qualifications between UK nations.
“The importance of providing useful information to such personnel and their families—and in varying and accessible formats—is vital to a smooth transition. While improvements have been made, there is scope for the MOD to be more proactive in the information it routinely shares with Armed Forces personnel and their families when they move to bases in Scotland, and from Scotland. The UK Government should also accelerate work with relevant responsible bodies across the UK to reduce barriers that military spouses and partners face when attempting to transfer their professional qualifications between UK nations.”
This is great news for Scotland…unfortunately the SNP don’t do facts, figures and evidence…
They just use post truth fact…..
It’s all pretty minor stuff in the bigger scheme of things and a bunch of repackaged announcements which is about as much as this UK government can come how these days, still atleast Scotland does not have to suffer Michael Gove doing “levelling up”.
Not much in there that’s going to persuade SNP voters to switch back.
Why would NATO give a monkeys whether it’s policies have any impact on the SNP’s policies ?
No idea where you get NATO from, not a mention of NATO in the article or my comment. NATO is a multi national alliance so it does not have an opinion on anything.
Scotland’s contribution is vital to the defence of the UK and pivotal to the UK’s contribution to NATO.
Not much in there that’s going to persuade SNP voters to switch back.
Good news for the United Kingdom. Many companies around the Union will benefit. I just wish this expansion had come sooner. We are perhaps fortunate in that the Supermarket Bombers are well and truly up the creek in taking on Ukraine.
You will never be able to make some understand or accept something if they are too stubborn or unwilling to learn or notice. You can present all the facts and figures you like and try to reason with them all you want, but their mind is made up. Understanding cannot be forced on someone who chooses to be ignorant and the most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know. As the old saying goes: There are none so blind as those who will not see. Or, if you like, its Biblical antecedent: “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not (Jer. 5:21).”
Very true indeed. I agree whole-heartedly on that. I think this has something to do with both the internet age (echo chambers), perhaps our modern education system and I’m always shocked in the UK today that compromise, understanding and seeing the best of one’s fellow man has gone out of the window. I think back to when I was 7 when the Falkland’s war had happened and that was the last time the UK was unified in pursuit of defending things like self-determination, justice and the rights of man. That showed the best of our armed services who didn’t have the best kit back then (even some of the Argentines had better kit – night vision, better rifle, boots etc). However, in the face of all obstacles they defeated a military junta I re-watched the images of the troops coming back on youtube recently and it reminded me of an era that was challenging (I lived in the North-West until moving down South) but mostly people got on with things and pursued their lives without major complaint and helped their neighbours. It wasn’t perfect by any means but I will still go back to that era in a heartbeat if offered the chance. I might add I lived in a very badly deprived area (we had very little food as my mother was a single parent) but our neighbours back then were kind, generous and very much the best Britain had (I don’t have rose tinted glasses either). We have lost something in the UK I just hope we regain it at some point.
What happens if Scotland eventually becomes independent. The RN will not buy warships from foreign countries so England will have to build new infrastructure…. we should diversify around tge auK not just Scotland.
If Scotland looses the RN as a customer I cannot see them competing on the civil market. After all they were in serious decline before the RN orders.
If the SNP thinks they will be better off outside the Union they will be sadly mistaken.
I do not understand how France, Germany and Spain appear to do well in the civilian market and Scottish yards appear to be much less successful?
The main reason is that France, Germany, Spain, Italy etc do not obey EU procurement rules in any way shape or form. It was one of the bug-bears of UK governments of all colours. I have colleagues in the civil service who would complain bitterly that these countries never followed EU procurement rules but always found some loophole to exploit ergo we lost manufacturing to the EU and had a negative balance of trade deficit with them – mainly because our government of all political hues would gold plate EU rules when we implemented them on our statute books rather than circumventing them like most sensible countries in the EU. I would add I went to Brussels one time and overhead French and German representatives divving up EU funds between them for R&D and essentially deciding what other countries should have on a percentage basis. This was enabled by mostly French and German EU civil servants who were obviously supportive of their own countries. You wonder why many French and German companies run most of the R&D programmes in the EU – it’s simple they don’t play by the rules but use backroom deals with EU civil servants. To be honest all they were doing was defending their national interests by bending the rules to their advantage (not breaking but bending). When we were in the EU we seemed to think everyone would play by the rules to the latter – this was our first fundamental mistake. I think these countries ascribe to the general idiom “rules are made to be broken”. More fool us for sticking by rules and then gold plating them. I don’t blame these countries I blame our politicians and civil servants for playing by the rules and gold plating them.
AT wrote:
It never fails to amaze me how those berate the Uk for leaving the EU (Note I am pro EU) citing how the UK has never been a fan of the Union, how it never subscribes to the laws and how bad the Uk will become never point out the wrong doing from within the EU and how so many countries whilst berating the Uk pay lip service to the rules they demand other bend the knee to. We saw that with Battery egg farming where the Uk enacted the laws as soon they were issued, France which 12 years down the line has still to implement them is now the EUs biggest supplier of eggs as it has captured a lot of the European market due to its cheaper eggs, we see similar with Poland and Pork and today the TUC issued warnings that the post Brexit deals the UK is enacting with other countries doesn’t take into account their human rights records and that a country which has no problem doing deals with countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Columbia and Australia will have no problem sticking up for rights at home either”. But then when I looked into the above, I find the wonderful EU they champion already has deals with the very countries in question. Funny that
Personally I am glad we have left the EU as we no longer need to abide by other countries rules we can use our own. It would be great to see Scotland and the UK as a whole being successful in civil and military shipbuilding.
They don’t, they have massive government subsidies to keep them open in France and Spain and Germany’s commercial yards just went bankrupt and have been bought out by military yards that have government subsidies.
That explains a lot….
Reducing the defense estate 30% will make even harder rapid training of recruits etc if the next decade or two are going head to head with Russia & China. Selling off 3 major airbases near me may come back to bite us hard too. Should’ve been mothballed, not scrapped.
I would agree…I can’t stand the government’s idiom of “doing better with less”. The issue is though how do you house a poulation that has increased from 58.3 million in 1997 to around 68 million today (some estimates put this figure substantially higher). That’s nearly 10 million more people in the UK (actually more than that as in 1997 the population of the UK was projected to fall slightly over the coming decades).
With so much RAF hardware and personnel going into Lossiemouth is there any news on any GBAD of any description going in there or anywhere else in UK bases for that matter? Serious lack of something so basic IMHO. Italy seems to be deploying CAMM-ER across all its forces including on the very same MAN truck launchers. CAMM/CAMM-ER could potentially go into the same launcher and even a Iron Dome style launcher with 15/16 CAMM could be explored and might even fit into a container with potentially so can be plugged into/slotted onto a huge range of ships. Something you’d think the RN PODs scheme should be looking at?
*with… which
If the news today becomes a reality than the good news for Scotland will end next October. Bye bye Scotland. Goodluck. Now where did I put my trowel? I’ve got a beautiful big tall wall to rebuild from Northumberland to Carlisle. We will put a few revenue gates in the wall to charge tax on everything coming out of Scotland via England. Its going to be great to see the SNP loonies crying unfair when the revenue streams vacate the country faster than a certain Russian flagship cruiser’s sinking.
Well i expect BAE are patting themselves for not building a bigger shed in Glasgow as they will at best get to finish the 2 T-26 started, where as babcock are sick to the back teeth as their frigate complex will only get to build 2 ships, Unless wee little Krankie orders some for the new Scottish navy. We will need to build up Brunton Airfield and RAF Longtown to take the Typhoons (minus T1’s which will core of new SAF), P8’s & E7.
The Astute’s can move to Devonport. The biggest hassle will be deciding where to move Dreadnaughts and Coulport too?
Say it does happen. What will actually happen to the Scottish army/navy/airforce. Would I as a member of any of those forces want to stay in Scotland even if Scottish/pro indy ? I will suddenly have far less toys to play with, far less opportunities to grow career wise, potentially less pay (no more tax top up) etc etc.
The Scottish MOD will likely wilt and die as they will not have the manpower to stay afloat. RUK will want to move out it’s bases as soon as possible and Scotland will have its MOD and related defence employment disappear. Madness to even consider it.
If the Scot’s do decide to leave the Union (hope Not) then it is their choice, I expect they will want some units of all 3 services, but that will be all down to whoever does negotiating, they’ll want best stuff we offer few T-1’s, couple of Type 23 (Montrose & Monmouth) and few Snatch LR 🙂, I thought i read last time that Krankie seem to think that they could keep GBP and have say in financial policy, then just join EU but have no borders but i guess all the clean air up on the mountains must do funny things? Time will tell but i can’t see MOD placing order for next batch of T-26 until after nor t-32.
Need to stop giving work to Scotland. They will get independence next year and we should not built uk military ships in a foreign country.
All the while, the poisoned treasonous SNP “dwarfess” wants independence and has the nerve to visit our Queen.
The quicker we withdraw naval shipbuilding and nuclear submarines from Scotland, the better. Perhaps holding onto the Shetland Islands as a military outpost and oil access, regardless of the mainland’s decision. I recall visiting Tingwall Lock (& airport) on numerous occasions fishing for the trout. Thinking that the valley would make an excellent location for an RAF airbase. Scalloway Voe being a potential submarine base but it would take some serious work.