Table of Contents
Would an independent Scotland have armed forces?
An independent Scotland would have defence forces with the main purpose of protecting Scottish waters and sovereign territory, with a longer term aim of building sufficient capacity to play our part in the world in supporting peace.”
When did Scotland become independent from England?
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms.
What would an independent Scotland Defence Force look like?
The size and format of Scottish defence forces would obviously be dependent on what are the outcomes an independent Government wish it to achieve. Those should be: Aerial protection of fleet, land forces, and Scottish Territorial waters and land borders. Support of international peace keeping operations and NATO operations.
Will an independent Scotland inherit military assets from the UK?
Despite the lack of official clarity on current SNP defence policy regarding whether or not an independent Scotland would in fact inherit UK military assets, Crawford points out that the inheritance of assets “would be subject to negotiation” should Scotland ever vote to leave.
What would an independent Scotland look like?
Crawford believes that an independent Scotland would require an army able to produce one deployable brigade (with details of units and equipment to be the subject of further study) of some 5000 personnel, and an air force with approximately 50 aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with some 2000 personnel.
How much would it cost to build a Scottish Defence Force?
The independence blueprint shows that a Scottish Defence Force will cost £2.5 billion a year and will be built up in three stages over the decade following the creation of an independent state. But opponents said that the defence section of the paper left too many questions unanswered on areas such as funding, acquiring equipment and recruitment.