MSPs have been urged to unite to fight proposed cuts to the military estate in Scotland.
Veterans Secretary Keith Brown said it was still possible to overturn "bad decisions" taken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last year.
Eight military sites north of the border are due to close in the next 15 years, cutting the defence estate by 20%.
Major Army bases at Fort George near Ardersier, north of Inverness, Glencorse barracks near Penicuik, Midlothian and Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks in Edinburgh are among more than 56 sites to shut across the UK.
Naval base MoD Caledonia in Rosyth, Fife, Condor Airfield, near Arbroath, Angus, Craigiehall Barracks in Edinburgh and Forthside Barracks in Stirling will also close.
Mr Brown told MSPs at Holyrood the "brutal" cuts would "drastically weaken" the connection between the military and local communities "with huge social and economic consequences".
He said a Scottish Government working group set up with affected councils had twice been declined a meeting with a UK minister on the issue.
"I am calling on us to unite as a chamber and send the message to the MoD that there must be meaningful dialogue with the Scottish Government, local authorities and local communities as a matter of urgency before closures are taken forward," Mr Brown said.
"In some areas, it's possible we may be able to mitigate the worst effects of decisions and get a better deal for local communities.
"We do still stand a chance of overturning bad decisions if we fight those bad decisions.
"We cannot turn our backs, simply accept what MoD decides to do behind closed doors and let our communities down. We must press our case and we must make our voices heard."
Backing the call, Labour Highlands MSP David Stewart said the closure of Fort George would be a real blow to the local community.
He urged the UK Government "to halt all and any base closures until it has prepared and consulted on full economic assessment and employment diversification plans".
"We must say no to the cavalier and unfeeling dismissal of their concerns and ensure that everything possible is done to either prevent the closures by changing the minds of government or commit the necessary resources to mitigate these damaging impacts."
In February, it was announced that remaining Scottish military bases are to be upgraded in a £1.7 billion investment programme.
Jackson Carlaw MSP, for the Conservatives, said the current estate in Scotland was too old and financially unsustainable.
He said the plans set out a "comprehensive and long-term plan for a more efficient built defence estate" that would "ensure Britain's military infrastructure is properly equipped to meet the defence challenges of the future".
"Quite demonstrably the UK Conservative government is investing to ensure that Scotland's defence is maintained and that Scotland remains at the very heart of Britain's armed forces.
"Of course, none of this would be available, practicable, deliverable or even fantasisable in the nightmare of an independent Scotland."
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