SNP anger at Defence Secretary’s claim that a Scottish army would not be ‘sustainable’

DEFENCE Secretary Philip Hammond has suggested an independent Scottish army would not be “sustainable”, saying it would struggle both to retain and recruit soldiers.

Speaking in London yesterday, Mr Hammond repeated claims that servicemen and women would prefer to remain in the larger UK force, rather than serve in a Scottish army.

The SNP has said an independent Scottish army would be made up of the current Scottish regiments, including the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Scots Guards and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, with recruits allowed to choose, after independence, whether they want to serve in either the Scottish or UK armed services.

Last night, the SNP called Mr Hammond’s claims “absurd”.

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The Defence Secretary was commenting as he warned that further cuts were on the way to the British armed forces in order to deal with budget cuts. Units will be scrapped or merged in the coming years, with the core strength of the army reduced from 102,000 to 82,000.

Asked about the SNP’s blueprint for a defending an independent Scotland, he said: “There seems to me to be a misunderstanding among some Scottish politicians expressed at its most extreme that an independent Scotland would still have the Scots Guards, the Royal Regiment of Scotland… and that would form a Scottish defence force of some kind.

“It isn’t clear to me that they would find it easy to recruit in such an organisation. It isn’t clear to me that such an organisation would be sustainable, and I don’t believe it would be in the best interests of the Scottish units of the army, or indeed in the best interests of Scots wishing to serve in an effective military force,” he said.

The SNP’s defence spokesman, Angus Robertson, last night hit back, accusing Mr Hammond of putting up a “smokescreen” to distract attention away from the cuts to the armed forces.

“The suggestion that Scotland, uniquely amongst nations of the world, would be unable to form its own defence force is absurd.”

The SNP intends to maintain an 8,500-strong mobile brigade in Scotland, with existing Scottish regiments maintained.

Former SAS commander Clive Fairweather said pay would be the crucial issue for soldiers weighing up whether to serve in a Scottish or UK force.