A cross-party committee of Scottish MPs has criticised the UK Government for ignoring calls to ensure offshore infrastructure is protected from sabotage and has called for reassurance Britain has enough aircraft in the North Atlantic and High North to meet increasing security demands.
The Commons Scottish Affairs Committee has called for UK ministers to re-assess the defence presence in Scotland in the face of new threats in the North Atlantic and High North region.
MPs have also raised concerns over a previous pledge by the UK Government to build a key surveillance ship in Scotland remains on track.
In a response to a committee report, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed with the Mps that the UK’s defence approach in the High North must adapt to new security threats and the “ripple effects” of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
This MoD adds that this includes changes to the UK’s capacity for international cooperation across the region on issues such as climate change.
Read more: RAF jets intercept Russian bombers off coast of Shetland
But the committee has warned the UK Government has failed, however, to address a number of its recommendations, including the vulnerability of offshore infrastructure as highlighted by the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.
The Scottish Affairs Committee's report expressed concern at the UK Government’s lack of leadership in repairing subsea cables.
In today’s response, the Ministry of Defence failed to engage by refusing to comment on how subsea cables could be quickly repaired, despite naming itself as one of the departments responsible.
In its report, the cross-party panel of MPs urged the UK Government to review whether the UK has enough aircraft in the North Atlantic and High North to meet increasing security demands.
Read more: Warning over soldiers breaking strike at Scots MoD plant
During its inquiry, MPs heard evidence that made clear that aircraft from elsewhere would be required to safely defend the UK – a concern also raised frequently by the Commons Defence Committee.
The Ministry of Defence remains confident it maintains the “right force mix.”
The Scottish Affairs Committee has warned that the response from the MoD swerves mention of its plans to build the second Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS) in Scotland, as set out in previous policy documents.
The committee said it will closely monitor announcements regarding the second MROSS and whether the UK Government will backtrack on its previous commitment to build the ship in Scotland.
Scottish Affairs Committee chairman, Pete Wishart, said: “Because of Scotland’s geography, it is home to a number of critical military assets and is therefore strategically important to the UK Government and NATO.
“With Russia’s growing military presence in the region and climate change rapidly reshaping international priorities in the Arctic, we welcome the UK Government’s broad acceptance of our report’s conclusions and recognition of Scotland’s role in High North defence against future threats.
Read more: SNP spark MoD funding row after 550 safety incidents on Navy aircraft carriers
“However, it is disappointing that the UK Government’s response today lacks clarity on a few key areas. We would have liked to see the UK Government commit to updating its Arctic defence strategy every five years to reflect the region’s increasing strategic importance.”
He added: “Although ministers reject this recommendation, we will closely follow this policy area and will not hesitate to urge ministers to change tack if necessary.
“Ensuring our defensive capability is well maintained and resourced is crucial. It is therefore disappointing that today’s response does not properly address concerns we heard about whether there are sufficient numbers of aircraft to meet our defence requirements in the High North.
“Refusing to comment on the protection of transatlantic cables, despite recent hostility involving the Nord Stream pipeline, is not just disappointing but inexplicable too. We will continue to push for an explanation and keep a close eye on these important areas.
“As always, we wish to thank those who work to defend us and keep us safe.”
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 hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel