The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Hundreds of military posts slashed in Tayside and Fife in last six years
SNP MP takes aim at Tory Government as more cuts lie in wait
More than 600 military posts have been slashed in Tayside and Fife over the last six years, according to new figures.
The SNP said the 12.5% cut to the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Scottish headcount since 2012 is part of a Conservative plot to “hollow out Scotland’s proud military past”.
Nearly a third of defence jobs in Fife, which is home to Leuchars barracks and the naval base in Rosyth, have gone over that period, the MOD data shows.
Stephen Gethins, the SNP MP for North East Fife, said the kingdom has suffered “heavy and sustained cuts” to its armed forces.
He added: “With a nearly 40% reduction in military personnel in Fife since 2012, it is obvious that the UK Government is not prioritising this area and is not prioritising conventional forces.
“They are, instead, choosing to squander billions of pounds on obscene nuclear weapons.
“I am pleased that the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard can call Fife its home – just this week I was privileged to attend the presentation of their new Standard by the Queen.
“Fife could, and should, however, be home to more armed forces personnel in line with the rich military history of the area, and I will continue to press the MOD to deliver the investment in Leuchars that is required and has been promised.”
The previous Conservative administration announced the closure of Leuchars as an RAF airbase in 2011, with the army taking its place.
The figures were obtained by the SNP from the MOD through freedom of information laws. There were 2,610 people working for the MOD in Courier Country in 2012, but that is down by a quarter to 1,990 this year.
More than half of all Scottish military job losses in the last year were in Tayside and Fife, the data shows.
Around 2,000 military and civilian jobs have been cut across Scotland since 2012, the figures revealed, with Edinburgh’s loss of 500 second only to Fife in terms of personnel shrinkage.
More cuts are to come following the UK Government revelation in 2016 that eight military bases, including the Royal Navy site in Rosyth, are to close north of the border.
The SNP said this would have major job implications and damage communities and local economies.
British ministers have earmarked Leuchars as the main army base in Scotland – and the Fife barracks is tipped to take on The Black Watch when their current Fort George home closes in 2032.
An MOD spokesperson said: “The UK Government is spending billions of pounds in Scotland to keep the whole of the UK safe.
“We have over 18,000 people in Scotland, with an estate eight times the size of Glasgow, and the number of personnel based 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 and as the armed forces make the necessary changes and unit moves in order to deliver the future defence programme.”