Major new role for Leuchars as £1.7 billion plan announced

Fife hub will see Black Watch return to its traditional recruiting grounds

Leuchars Station will become the main hub for army activity in Scotland as part of an ambitious £1.7 billion investment announced yesterday.

The Fife base will be expanded, signalling the eventual return of the Black Watch to its traditional heartland and a potential new home for other Scottish battalions.

It will also house the headquarters of a versatile “Army Adaptive Force Brigade”, which will conduct specialist operations, work alongside partner nations abroad and provide resilience support to Scottish civil authorities.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that naval base MoD Caledonia in Rosyth and Condor Airfield in Angus will close.

The plans were outlined by defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon as the MoD’s Defence Board convened in Edinburgh for the first time.

He said it underlined the MoD’s commitment to Scotland.

The long term intention is to see the army based at Leuchars, the RAF at Lossiemouth and the navy on the Clyde as the military locates at “fewer, better locations”.

While the Leuchars proposals are still at an early stage, they have been welcomed by local politicians who have called on the MoD to accelerate their investment programme.

But the Scottish Government said the announcement failed to mention a round of “severe cuts” which would result in many job losses across communities.

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie hailed the announcement as good news for Leuchars.

“It means that the military base can be the major focus for the army in the whole of Scotland,” he said.

“It also means we can bring the Black Watch 3 Scots home to its traditional recruiting grounds and, potentially, be a new home for other Scottish Battalions.

“I will be pressing the Ministry of Defence to accelerate the investment programme so that the army can be settled into east Fife as soon as possible.”

This base can be focus for the army. WILLIE RENNIE MSP

Last year over 100 vehicles arrived from Germany for use in Leuchars as part of the move to Fife.

Local MP Stephen Gethins outside the Fife base.