ALEX Salmond has said it is "absurd" that no major Royal Navy warship is based at a Scottish port.
The First Minister said independence would allow Scotland to develop "appropriate capabilities" for its defence needs.
In a speech in Lerwick he said: "Our current naval capability is based on prestige, not performance.
"The navy does not have a single major surface vessel based in Scotland.
"The largest protection vessels stationed in Scottish waters are those of the fisheries protection vessels run by the Scottish government.
"It is absurd for a nation with a coastline longer than India's to have no major surface vessels.
"And it's obscene for a nation of five million people to host weapons of mass destruction."
Mr Salmond repeated the SNP's proposal for an independent Scotland to become a nuclear-free member of NATO.
The proposed Scottish Defence Force would be primarily tasked with guarding Scotland and its closest neighbours but could contribute to international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions "over time".
He also restated his plan for the constitution of an independent Scotland to rule out military action not sanctioned by the UN.
The speech was the third in a series on independence this summer.
Mr Salmond has also discussed plans to share the pound and outlined reasons for keeping the monarchy.
A Scotland Office spokesman said: "Yet again the Scottish Government have passed up an opportunity to share a coherent, positive and substantive plan with the people of Scotland on how they propose to maintain Scotland's defence and security, and sustain thousands of jobs in Scotland's defence industry."
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