UP to 50 specialist defence posts in Glasgow linked to Nato look set to be lost as part of the UK Government's cuts plan.
A senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) official has recommended sending the jobs to Bristol, despite an internal report finding that staying in Glasgow was the cheapest option.
SNP Westminster leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson condemned the move.
The MoD has slashed thousands of jobs since 2010 as part of the Government's bid to trim the public sector.
The Sunday Herald can reveal that the UK Nato Codification Bureau (UKNCB), which is funded by the ministry, is now facing major changes.
The division, which was transferred to Glasgow in the 1980s, catalogues equipment and hardware for the armed forces and Nato.
It codifies all component parts for items such as jet fighters, Challenge tanks and radars, and assists with export sales.
However, an internal review has backed relocating the bureau to the MoD site at Abbey Wood, in Filton.
If approved, the move could result in the loss of nearly 50 posts from Glasgow.
The relocation is likely to prove controversial as the review's executive summary listed a number of risks associated with the shift.
The report flagged up a potential "cumulative loss and dilution of skills and expertise", as well as a "loss of efficiency and effectiveness".
It also noted: "The cheapest costed option in any of the comparable timescales is for UKNCB staff to remain in Glasgow."
The report added: "A simple comparison between the levels of benefits (Medium) and risks (High) provides the conclusion that the arguments weigh clearly in favour of the UKNCB remaining in Glasgow."
Trade unionists have also hit out at the secret plan.
Gerry Burns, chairman of the Public and Commercial Services Union's Scotland West branch, said: "This is nothing short of a scandal. The Value For Money study came down in favour of Glasgow as the preferred location, yet senior officials are still proposing to move these valuable jobs out of the city.
"This is all about internal MoD politics, yet dozens of members stand to lose their jobs and have their livelihoods ruined."
Alan Glover, the local Prospect Union representative, stated: "David Cameron and the other Unionist MPs are continually stating that Scotland benefits from being in the union, yet it seems here that Scottish jobs once again are being placed on the sacrificial altar with no financial or business reasoning."
SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson MP said: "It's shocking that such a decision can be made despite evidence that Glasgow is the cheaper centre to run, and at a time when service and civilian defence jobs in Scotland have reached record lows.
"This is an unacceptable blow to the hard-working personnel running an efficient centre in Glasgow."
An MoD spokesman said: "The MoD remains committed to bringing down the national deficit by reducing costs and driving efficiency wherever possible.
"The MoD is considering the future size and shape of the MoD's UKNCB but no final decisions have been taken."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article