Indefensible view

In common with Lesley Riddoch, Emma Cockburn (Letters, November 24) thinks that defence spending, which has been ruthlessly cut year on year for decades, should not be increased by £16 billion. Defence spending, of course, is more than just building ships and having forces to cope with flare-ups in volatile parts of the world, though that is important enough in itself. How else could we deal with the attempts by Daesh groups to take over in various parts of the world, except by having trained troops and the means to get them there, sustain, supply and defend them?

Building ships means jobs for the Clyde and su pp liers throughout the UK. The same applies to expenditure on the RAF and the Army, all of whom will be instrumental in giving the population of the UK the new vaccines being developed in labs all over Britain, Europe and the USA. These ships, planes and soldiers will help our trade develop worldwide as we engage with our trading partners beyond Europe. Pirates in the Red Sea, predatory Iranians in the Gulf and drug runners in the Caribbean all need to be dealt with by the likes of the Royal Navy. We cannot defend our goods and people without them.

The expenditure will create jobs and sustain our trade. Also, in an increasingly divided world, our defence forces provide us with security, just as our forces kept Britain free during the last war when Europe was under the Nazi jackboot.

ANDREW HN GRAY

Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh