Independent Scotland vulnerable to 9/11 attack

UK Political Correspondent

Wednesday 4 July 2012

An independent Scotland would have to operate "second tier" aircraft and could not prevent a 9/11-style attack, a leading defence expert has warned.

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Kate Devlin UK Political Correspondent

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, of the Royal United Services Institute, said financial constraints could mean Scotland "begging, borrowing and leasing assets" after independence.

An independent Scottish air force could not operate first rate planes such as Typhoons or Tornados and could be forced to rely on Hawk aircraft instead, Mr Chalmers, director of UK Defence Policy studies at the independent think-tank, told the House of Commons Defence Select Committee yesterday.

He added: "I find it difficult to imagine an independent Scotland taking responsibility for patrolling its own airspace".Hawk aircraft are not fitted with radar and there are concerns they would not be able to travel at speeds needed to intercept another plane. Last night, Fife Labour MP Thomas Docherty, who sits on the committee, said: "It is unclear how a separate Scottish Air Force would be made up. "But the notion you can rely on radarless and sub-sonic aircraft to prevent a 9/11-style attack is preposterous."Mr Docherty claimed the evidence raised questions about the future of the fast jets based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray. "This leaves a very uncertain future for them," he said. Mr Chalmers said finances meant Scotland would be unable to afford even a small fleet of advanced fighter aircraft, such as Tornados. He added: "Given a post-independence Scottish defence budget in the order of £1.5 billion to £2bn a year, then that has very clear implications over whether you can afford even a small fleet of the most advanced fighter aircraft."I don't think you can, unless you have a force structure that was very biased towards air power to the expense of other components."Retired Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford, a defence consultant and former SNP candidate, agreed an independent Scotland would have to rely on some kind of defence alliance, potentially as part of Nato. The SNP is officially opposed to Nato membership but there has been speculation this position is under review.Lt Col Crawford told MPs: "It is almost inconceivable that an independent Scotland would have a completely separate defence policy."When questioned about the future of the defence industry in Scotland, which employs thousands of Scots, Mr Chalmers raised further concerns. He said: "Most of what Scotland would buy [once it left the UK] would be bought elsewhere. Over time, it [the defence industry in Scotland] would drift to the rest of the UK."An SNP spokesman said: "The exact configuration of Scottish Defence Forces will be shaped by the outcome of a strategic review, but we can look to our European neighbours of comparable size for an indication of how the defence landscape of an independent Scotland will look."Our northern European neighbours all maintain appropriate military capabilities including fast jets, ocean-going vessels and highly trained personnel. There is no question that Scotland could easily match those capabilities."The starting point for this debate must be the legacy of decline in Scotland's defence footprint, which has seen the loss of more than 11,000 defence jobs and a £5.6bn underspend in Scotland over the last decade."This time last year the Ministry of Defence claimed Scotland would benefit from the return of up to 7000 personnel based in Germany, and investment in new purpose-built barracks at Kirknewton, near Edinburgh. We now know defence jobs have been cut by almost 700 in just the last three months, and construction of the Kirknewton facility has been abandoned."

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Independent Scotland vulnerable to 9/11 attack

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