If Scotland Votes for Independence, It’s Going to Need an Army

War is Boring ^ | 1-22-2014 | Peter Vine

[DesScorp]

This year voters in Scotland will decide whether to remain within the United Kingdom. Scottish sovereignty rides on two things: any eventual negotiations between London and Edinburgh and the gradually evolving position of the Scottish National Party, the primary backer of the independence bid. And if it happens, the resulting military reform is going to be a mess. If the vote is yay, the most optimistic date for negotiations is March 2016, but it isn’t out of the question that sticking points could push this back. Defense could be one of those points.

In its white paper on a newly independent Scotland, the SNP lists the potential new country’s needs in its first 10 years. The paper calls for an annual military budget of around £2.3 billion—$4.1 billion—with a standing army, navy and air force with 15,000 personnel.

It also declares that existing Scottish regiments would carry on their names, identities and traditions—and that those lost in previous defense re-organizations would be brought back.

Scotland would reposition its defense posture towards patrolling the coast, the North Atlantic and the North Sea and defending its maritime assets—specifically fishing grounds and oil. Scotland hopes to acquire 12 Eurofighter Typhoons from the Royal Air Force, two frigates from the Royal Navy’s current fleet and several offshore patrol vessels such as the current River class being built for the U.K. by BAE systems.

More at the link...

[DesScorp]

Scotland is in for huge military problems if they secede. For one, they're living in fantasy land about how much military they can buy for the amount they're proposing. Likely, they'll simply go the New Zealand route... no real military at all... and expect that surrounding countries defend them anyway.

[tgusa]

The RNZN has how many warships?

[central_va]

Thanks for posting this.

I think it says they get the Scottish units back from the Royal Army. Secession from socialist GB is a first step in the right direction. I wish them luck.

[VanDeKoik]

I dont think these guys are thinking this through very well.

It’s almost like the desire to be independent to fulfill some “Scottish destiny” is blocking all of the serious consequences of being an actual nation.

It isnt like England forced them into this union. It was Scotland’s irresponsible fiscal practices that put them there.

And it looks like they haven’t learned a thing.

[Red Badger]

It was Scotland’s irresponsible fiscal practices that put them there.

I thought the Scots were 'thrifty'!.....................

[Moose Burger]

“If Scotland Votes for Independence, It’s Going to Need an Army”

That’s what “independence” means. Think about it any time “gun control” enters the conversation.

[Buckeye McFrog]

All indications are that an independent Scotland will be way, way more Socialist than present day Great Britain.

With only 5 million people, and an average age that appears to be north of 45, staffing that military will not be an easy chore.

[VanDeKoik]

After blowing the nations’s money on trying to colonize Panama, you would have to be! :)

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

"Thanks for posting this. I think it says they get the Scottish units back from the Royal Army. Secession from socialist GB is a first step in the right direction. I wish them luck. "

LOL, you don't know much about Scottish politics do you?

[taxcontrol]

I suspect that they would have to go with the Swiss model. Rifle in every home, every male required to receive military training. Could be set up and executed within a couple of years. Hard to do overnight but very effective to prevent the country from being attacked.

They could make it compulsory as part of the education system. Similar to our JROTC program in High School. Learn to march, basic military ranks, general orders, basic first aid, basic military squad level tactics and basic rifle marksmanship in a 1 school year program.

BTW, this is something that I think we should be doing.

[central_va]

LOL, you don't know much about Scottish politics do you?

Please inform us as to the state of Scottish Politics.

[onedoug]

What are they going to be? The Antisemitic Republic of Scotland?

[DesScorp]

You do know that the SNP is an explicitly socialist party, right? They're allied with the Greens in the European Parliament, and while the article doesn't go into this, they are, for all of their bluster about "Independence", very much pro-EU and internationalist in orientation. They just hate England. Fair enough, if that's what they want, but if you're expecting the hardy Scotland of William Wallace and the Scottish Enlightenment, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Because you're going to get Greece with cold weather. When a reporter asked Scottish youth voters about military defence, trade, etc, they kids said "Oh, that's what Europe is for".

[Mi-kha-el]

Scottish MP’s lean much more left that Brittish. Actually, Brittain is going to be better off without them.

[central_va]

I’ll admit that Scottish politics is not my forte.

[Former Proud Canadian]

"...The RAF’s presence in Scotland is being drawn down and with the scrapping of the Nimrod fleet, the U.K. has no airborne maritime patrol capability at all.

WHAT????

[thorvaldr]

LOL, you don’t know much about Scottish politics do you?

I’d actually like to know too. My first thought was “UK is 14th in economic freedom and Ireland is 9th, maybe Scotland could be have more freddom outside Great Britain (worked for us, for a while)” But would that work? Do they have the political will to be free?

[Jim Noble]

Secession from socialist GB is a first step in the right direction. I wish them luck.

GB is socialist BECAUSE of the overwhemingly Leftist electorate in Scotland.

If they secede, they'll need all the luck you can wish them, and more.

[moose07]

Nimrod:
The pictures in the news last year showed total destruction not mothballing.

[central_va]

I’m not up on Scottish politics.