Independent Scotland would be capable of defending interests - Salmond

AN independent Scotland would be able to adequately defend its interests with the full range of armed forces after independence, First Minister Alex Salmond today insisted.

• Concerns Scotland would have to build special forces units from scratch in independent Scotland

• Norway held up as prime example by Salmond as small country capable of protecting energy interests

Tory leader Ruth Davidson had questioned whether the country could train and run special forces to defend key locations, such as oil and gas platforms.

Scotland could be forced to rely on England for help, she said during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood.

Ms Davidson praised the actions of UK special forces who, with US help, rescued a British aid worker and three other hostages being held in Afghanistan last week.

“The daily work of our security services at home is to look after our people and our assets,” she said.

“The First Minister has repeatedly staked the economic stability of a separate Scotland on North Sea oil and gas. These assets are currently protected by the full range of British security services including marines, special forces and the intelligence community.”

Encouraged to set out the plan for defence, including special forces, Mr Salmond said: “An independent Scotland will have the range of forces required to establish the security of the country.”

He referred to Norway, another country with major energy interests in the North Sea, saying: “I’ve never heard it suggested in any way that Norwegian oil installations are somehow at risk because they’re being protected and supervised by Norwegian forces.

“Is she seriously arguing that an independent Scotland couldn’t provide the same security over our oil and gas assets as Norway does over its oil and gas assets?”

The big difference would be that revenue would go directly to Scotland rather than the UK Treasury, he told MSPs.

Ms Davidson highlighted the UK-Norway ties demonstrated by a visit from Prime Minister David Cameron, which will lead to investment in the energy industry.

She said it would take years to build Scottish special forces, adding: “Norway has the special forces. I’m asking if Scotland would have the same? We did not hear a cheap about special forces, nor a Scottish MI5, nor a Scottish MI6, nor GCHQ monitoring.

“The First Minister is happy to rely on the Bank of England as the lender of last resort but is he content on having what would then be the special forces of another country being Scotland’s defence of last resort too?”

The First Minister replied: “It’s interesting the Prime Minister is in Norway today. I can absolutely tell Ruth Davidson that one thing the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will not do in Norway today is suggest in any way, shape or form the Norwegian government is incapable of protecting Norwegian oil and gas in the North Sea.

“Isn’t it extraordinary that the Unionist parties in Scotland, Tory and Labour, are willing to praise and say how well these small, independent European countries are doing, managing their assets, signing agreements with them, lauding them with praise, except when it comes to the small European nation of Scotland.”