Smaller increase in troops defended

Mar 5 2013

Slimmed down plans to increase troops in Scotland have been defended by the UK Government.

The number of armed forces personnel will increase by about 600, far fewer than was promised in 2011. The changes, announced at Westminster, mean the Army's presence in Scotland will grow to about 4,000 by 2020.

Former defence secretary Liam Fox pledged that the size of the Army in Scotland would increase from about 3,500 to 8,500. He also outlined a proposal for a new base in Kirknewton, near Edinburgh, which has now been ditched.

Labour said Scotland has been dealt a blow that would not be forgotten, while the SNP said communities have been betrayed.

Defence minister Mark Francois, speaking at Edinburgh Castle after the Commons statement, said: "This announcement will provide certainty and security for armed forces personnel, their families, for the defence of Scotland and for the wider defence of the United Kingdom."

Two Army units returning from Germany will be based at RAF Leuchars which is to be converted to an Army base in 2015. Dreghorn barracks in Edinburgh will no longer be sold off, while its current occupants, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, will move to Belfast next year.

The Royal Marines will remain at RM Condor in Arbroath while the headquarters of the 51st Infantry Brigade will move from Forthside Barracks in Stirling to Redford Barracks in Edinburgh. Craigiehall Barracks, part of Redford Barracks and part of Forthside Barracks will be sold. A proposed redevelopment of RAF Kirknewton, near Edinburgh, will not go ahead.

The announcement was made by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond as part of wider plans to bring British troops home from Germany. About 70% of the Army will be brought back by the end of 2015 and the final 4,300 will return by the end of 2019. The move is expected to save £240 million a year, according to the UK Government.

About £100 million will be spent refurbishing the defence estate in Scotland. The Defence Secretary, in his Commons statement, said Scotland has secured a "very good outcome". He said: "It's also worth noting that, if my calculator is correct, the proportion of our armed forces that will be based in Scotland at the end of this process is slightly higher than the proportion of the UK population that lives in Scotland. So, Scotland is getting its fair share, or perhaps a little bit more than its fair share."

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in a statement released by the Scottish Government, said: "This announcement falls far, far short of the commitments given to Scotland by Liam Fox in 2011. It represents a breach of trust and a failure to work together to meet the principles the UK Government set out in its covenant with the armed forces." Scotland previously had disproportionate cuts to defence, she said. "The increase in Army personnel announced today, if it's fulfilled, would simply return us to the numbers of military personnel here in 2008."