Ministers call for assurance on plans for Scots ‘mobile brigade’

Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 00:00

SCOTTISH ministers have called for the UK government to “provide reassurance” that MoD plans to base a new 6,000-strong army brigade in Scotland remain on track.

The call comes amid fears that further cutbacks and constitutional wrangling over the independence referendum could jeopardise the plan.

Bruce Crawford, the SNP cabinet secretary for parliamentary business, has written to Defence Secretary Philip Hammond for urgent talks, amid growing speculation that UK plans to boost Scotland’s military footprint are being watered down.

Those plans, unveiled last year by Hammond’s predecessor Liam Fox, involved moving troops from bases in Germany to Scotland where they would form one of the British Army’s five new “mobile brigades”.

The proposals envisage RAF Leuchars being refitted as an army barracks, with RAF Lossiemouth remaining as Scotland’s only RAF base.

However, in a reply to Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell last week, Hammond warned that the Leuchars proposal was “complex”, and that it was “not possible to provide specifics on the future usage of Leuchars” until work currently under way on the future structure of the army was completed. Another plan, announced by Fox, to sell off Craigiehall and the Redford and Dreghorn barracks in Edinburgh and build a new HQ at Kirknewton were now subject to a “value-for-money review”, he said.

Military analysts say the MoD is looking for further savings, with billions already committed to costly projects such as the construction of two aircraft carriers on the Clyde and at Rosyth.

With the possibility of Scottish independence also having emerged, they say this too may be coming into play as a factor in any decision.

In his letter to Hammond, Crawford says that work between the Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence on organising the reforms has “been limited”. He says the speculation surrounding the bases may now be leading to “heightened anxiety” in communities, particularly around Leuchars and could cause “potential damage to local economies”.

He goes on: “I know you will share my view that it is important that we do what we can to minimise the impact on local communities and reduce uncertainty. To that end it is important that you continue to provide reassurance that the overall commitments given in July 2011 are met, including that Scotland is to become home to one of five multi-role brigades after the rebasing of the army.”

Crawford is now requesting an urgent meeting with Hammond to discuss the plans.

Clive Fairweather, a former senior army commander, said: “The starting point here is that there is no money in the MoD. Dr Fox last year was forced to make a series of decisions in a hurried fashion. Now Philip Hammond has come in and realised there have to be more cuts.”

Fairweather said one possibility would be for the MoD to disband the regiments based in Germany, rather than bring them back to Scotland.

Given the possibility of independence, he said army figures may be asking “What are we doing sending them there?”

Comments

There are 15 comments to this article

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

15

rider000

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:14 AM

Surely what is required is for the SNP to declare what forces an independant Scottish nation would put in place with regard to army, navy and air force strength. If thats a squad in a scout hut, a fishing boat in Peterhead and a Airbus A380 as el Presidente's airforce 1 then so be it. UK MoD policies could mirror this so there would be no major transition issues or costs of closurerelocation. Makes perfect sense so it's probably something that the SNP would stuggle with.

• Report Unsuitable

14

rider000

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:05 AM

Anyone who believes a major infrastructure investment in something that could well become redundant in 4 years time is worthwhile is either an idiot or entirely self serving. Assuming Mr. Craford is not a total idiot then he must have concluded that investment funded 91% from outisde of Scotland taxpayers is a thoroughly sound return on a 9% investment Scots will make, even if turns out to be a big white elephant. I'd have to agree with Mr. Crawford on the basis of those returns, then again I'd understand if the MoD no longer did.

• Report Unsuitable

13

Kobi

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 08:32 AM

#12 "The SNP need a clearer and more robust vision and about defence policy and a series of steps of how it would come to fruition." How the SNP will defend Scotland: 1) Spot the enemy; 2) Put hands in the air in surrender; 3) Blame England.

• Report Unsuitable

12

ELDee

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 04:48 AM

There is agreat inconsistency here; on the one hand there is the issue of one of the mobile brigades in Scotland with a few (or even fewer) bases and Bruce Crawford, a member of a party that wants independence, complaining about watering down defence in Scotland. It is the uncertainty of independence that is doing the watering down; Bruce Crawford and the SNP cant have their cake and eat it. SNP defence policy, of which I can find scant publication is vague, weak and in relation to recent press stories, may not be up to the job and could be 'still born'. The SNP need a clearer and more robust vision and about defence policy and a series of steps of how it would come to fruition.

• Report Unsuitable

11

Kobi

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 07:51 PM

Exactly WTF is it to do with Bruce Crawford? Can't wait for the Letter from Phillip Hammond to the cabinet secretary for parliamentary business pointing out where the Scottish Executive is going wrong in their scheduling of parliamentary businesses, and asking for assurances that they will start doing it better. If Crawford is so concerned, then he can arrange for the referendum to take place this summer, and then if he wins, he can do what he wants with Scottish bases. But don't expect the anti-Scottish SNP to do that, because they hate the military and they hate Scots even more than they hate the English.

• Report Unsuitable

10

briteric

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 05:53 PM

The UK defence Cake. England will eat it including Scotland's share while we contribute. Enjoy because it will be a smaller cake when our independence comes. The MOD have no Idea of UK defence strategy when Scotland is independent

• Report Unsuitable

9

Buford Van Stomm

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 05:10 PM

it worries me there are so many scots with such a poor ego that the snp's message appeals to them,

• Report Unsuitable

8

Lies and stats

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 05:02 PM

As it is we don't get our fair share of defence spending when taking into account how much we pay in taxes. So if it gets even less that will be another benefit to independence when we set up our own small defence force. Also good idea Redford doesn't get sold at the moment.

• Report Unsuitable

7

Simonsaid

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 03:31 PM

Given that Scottish ministers have been ranting endlessly about being independent and breaking up the UK, how the hell can they now whinge and moan about the UK government looking after UK interests by reassessing their commitments to base UK troops in what will effectively be a foreign country given independence. – That’s an easy one to answer – it is because the SNP and their supporters are a bunch of stupid selfish bampots. Every word or action, by anyone not a Nationalist, is interpreted, twisted and presented as a slight on Scotland- Their infantile paranoid fantasies are an embarrassment to any self-respecting Sc

• Report Unsuitable

6

well informed

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 03:09 PM

We need assurances that a UK Govt would have them all killed fighting illegal Corporate wars!

• Report Unsuitable

5

billalba

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 01:08 PM

Agentp....I thought all you unionists were more than confident that scotland would vote against independence...doesnt that make you position on the UK military bases in Scotland a little bit hysterical. Greendock....what is the UK's back of a fag packet military policy??. maybe is they actually had a policiy we could take their increasingly claptrap comments seriously.

• Report Unsuitable

4

geedoch

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 10:23 AM

Maybe when we get the SNP version of independance,Scotland can provide a base for ..say,Pakistani troops,a few divisions of Polish troops would be ok and maybe an airbase for some Russian planes.Each one of these would provide local jobs and boost the local economy..........Oh and to make things easier for the plan to share an aircraft carrier with France. A French naval base in Rosyth would be fine. Yeh,but this is supposed to be amusing.The SNP's increasingly absurd rhetoric is intended to be taken seriously.

• Report Unsuitable

3

McNasty

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 10:09 AM

According to the Tories Scots are a collection of subsidy junkies, beggars even, in our own country. The Tory treachery is nothing new, Thatchers cuts just about wrecked Scotland's economy.

• Report Unsuitable

2

famous15

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 12:35 AM

~1 NO We just want fair shares and we aint getting that.

• Report Unsuitable

1

Agent P

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 12:23 AM

Typical SNP. They want to have their cake and eat it. This is a great example of the type of problem that Scotland faces, due to the uncertainty caused by the Great Dictator delaying the referendum for nearly 3 years.

• Report Unsuitable

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

Logged in as:

Comment here. Start typing your comment here:

Post comment

Please adhere to our Community guidelines

Your view

Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.