It is not whether an independent Scotland could go it alone and develop its own defence forces - of course it could - but what sort of forces would they be?

Scotland forms a crucial part of our Armed Forces which should not be jeopardised by rushed cuts or a rush to the exit from the U.K. Defence jobs are vital to the Scottish economy and yet independence puts thousands of jobs at risk.

It is a significant gamble to assume that troops in our U.K. Armed Forces would volunteer for a Scottish Defence Force.

Philip Hammond Quotes