2,000 jobs lost as part of military savings bid
HUNDREDS of military jobs have been axed across Scotland over the past six years as part of a ‘devastating’ programme of cuts.
The number of military and civilian personnel has fallen by more than 12 per cent since 2012 amid widespread reductions in the British armed forces.
Some 1,950 jobs have been lost over the past six years – including 500 in Edinburgh and 520 in Fife, figures published yesterday show.
The data follows an announcement in November 2016 that eight military sites north of the Border will close within the next 15 years.
Locations earmarked for closure include the 250-year-old Fort George, near Inverness, and Glencorse Barracks in Penicuik, Midlothian, which has undergone a £60million upgrade in recent years.
Nationalist Highlands and Islands MSP Maree Todd, who obtained the figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said: ‘These are devastating figures, which reveal the extent of MoD cuts upon Scotland.
‘There’s barely a community that isn’t being hammered, as the Tories grind down our armed forces, hollow out Scotland’s proud military past and spare little thought for local communities and the jobs that depend on the military.
‘What’s worse is that they aren’t done wielding the axe.’ The figures show that since 2012, the number of military and civilian personnel in Stirling has dropped from 330 to 180, and from 5,090 to 4,810 in Argyll and Bute.
The number of officers based in Scotland has decreased by 150 since 2012, while soldiers of other ranks fell by 1,120.
The number of civilian staff decreased by 680 to 4,010 over the same period.
The 2016 announcement spelled closure for Forthside Barracks in Stirling, Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks in Edinburgh and Condor Airfield in Arbroath, Angus. MoD Caledonia in Rosyth will also close, marking the demise of the Navy’s historic presence in Fife. Craigiehall, near Edinburgh, will shut, too.
The decisions were made as part of a bid to make £140million of savings by 2026 – rising to £3billion by 2040 – with the money to be reinvested in defence. At the time, the MoD insisted the changes would not have an impact on overall military numbers in Scotland and would mean more staff were based in ‘21st century’ buildings.
Christine Grahame, the Nationalist MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, said: ‘Glencorse Barracks in my constituency supports a whole local economy in neighbouring Penicuik, the shops and local services.
‘The MoD has invested £60million in this site alone in recent years. Selling off the site makes poor operational as well as economic sense.’
Last year, the Cabinet Office announced a review into 12 strands of UK security, including intelligence services MI5 and MI6, the surveillance agency GCHQ and the MoD.
The MoD has drawn up a list of options for cuts, resulting from a budget squeeze and a planned shift to projects judged to be more relevant to modern warfare.
One of the key changes is to devote more resources to modern threats such as cyber warfare, and to an increased use of artificial intelligence.
Prime Minister Theresa May shied away last month from pledging that the UK should remain a ‘tier one’ military power on par with the US, Russia, China and France.
It followed reports that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson pushed for an extra £2billion a year in defence spending – on top of the £35.3billion budget.
An MoD spokesman said: ‘The UK Government is spending billions of pounds in Scotland. We have over 18,000 people in Scotland and the number of personnel in Scotland is set to rise as HMNB Clyde becomes home to all of Britain’s submarines by 2020.
‘The numbers of personnel based at any site will continue to fluctuate as part of normal activity.’
‘Aren’t done wielding axe’