Defence Committee
Further written evidence from the Ministry of Defence

Annex A

MOD PERSONNEL NUMBERS IN SCOTLAND

MOD personnel numbers are reported in the DASA Quarterly Location Statistics report. A copy of the most recent version is attached or can be found through the link below.

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/apps/publications/pubViewFile.php?content=120&date=2012–05–17&type=pdf&PublishTime=09:30:00

Annex B

MOD ASSETS IN SCOTLAND

The attached spreadsheets show details of land and buildings assets and MOD locations in Scotland.

Below is the answer provided in response to a Parliamentary Question from Angus Robertson MP about major generic equipment types (5 March 2012, c583W):

Equipment currently based in Scotland is shown in the following table:

Equipment Type	Numbers	Location	Platform1
Aircraft	48	Lossiemouth	Tornado GR4
	19	Leuchars	Typhoon
	5	Kirknewton	Viking (Glider)
	3	Kinloss/Lossiemouth	Vigilant (Glider)
	5	Arbroath	Viking (Glider)
Helicopters	3	Prestwick	Sea King Mk5
	2	Lossiemouth	Sea King Mk3/3a
Armoured vehicles	0
Main battle tanks	0
Armoured reconnaissance vehicles	4	Fife	2 x Scimitar, 1 x Spartan, 1 x Sultan
	4	Ayr	2 x Scimitar, 1 x Spartan, 1 x Sultan
Transport aircraft	0
Conventional naval vessels	9	Faslane	7 x Sandown Class Minehunters, 2 x P2000 Fast inshore Patrol Craft
	1	Glasgow	P2000 Fast inshore Patrol Craft
	1	Aberdeen	P2000 Fast inshore Patrol Craft
Submarines	5	Faslane	4 x Vanguard Class, 1 x Astute Class
Field Artillery	6	Arbroath	105mm Light Guns
	10	Edinburgh	105mm Light Guns

Annex C

DEFENCE FOOTPRINT IN SCOTLAND

Overview

1. As at 1 April 2012 there were 15,880 regular armed forces and MOD civilian personnel based in Scotland: 11,190 regular armed forces and 4,690 MOD civilians (full-time equivalents).

2. There were also over 3,000 volunteer reserves and 17,000 cadets.

3. As at January 2012 MOD had over 50 locations in Scotland. As at 1 April 2011 MOD had land holdings (owned, leased or with legal rights) totalling 146,000 hectares.

Naval Service

4. As at 1 April 2012 there were 4,530 regular naval service personnel based in Scotland. There were also some 300 maritime reserves and 1,300 cadets.

5. Most naval service personnel are based at HM Naval Base Clyde, which includes the submarine port at Faslane and the RN armament depot at Coulport. In all, over 6,000 naval service, MOD civilian and contractors’ personnel work at the base. The base is the home port of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and on current plans will become home to all RN submarines by 2017, including the nuclear powered fleet of attack submarines. It is also home to: Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland/Flag Officer Reserves; Flag Officer Sea Training Director (North); 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines; First Mine Countermeasures Squadron; and the Northern Diving Group. Vessels based there are:

four Vanguard Class SSBN submarines;

one, to be followed post-build by a further six, Astute Class SSN attack submarines;

in the meantime, and by 2017, at least three Trafalgar Class SSN attack submarines;

seven Sandown Class mine countermeasures vessels; and

two patrol boats.

6. 45 Commando RM is based at RM Condor, Arbroath.

7. There are two RN Reserves units in Rosyth (HMS SCOTIA) and Greenock (HMS DALRIADA) and a detachment in Inverness. HQ RM Reserves is in Glasgow, with detachments in Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

8. There are also seven Combined Cadet Force RN sections and one Combined Cadet Force RM section and 38 Sea Cadet units (three of which also have RM Cadet detachments) in Scotland.

Army

9. As at 1 April 2012 there were 3,250 regular army personnel based in Scotland. There were also some 2,500 volunteer reserves and 12,250 cadets.

10. General Officer Commanding Scotland and Headquarters 51 (Scottish) Brigade, which have responsibility for the Army across the whole of Scotland, are based at Stirling. The Army Personnel Centre is based in Glasgow.

11. There are four regular light role infantry battalions based in Scotland:

The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh.

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) at Glencorse Barracks, Penicuik.

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) at Fort George, near Inverness

3rd Battalion The Rifles at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh.

12. 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) is scheduled to move to Kinloss later this year.

13. There are also five Scottish-recruited regular units based outside Scotland:

1st Battalion Scots Guards, an armoured infantry battalion based in Catterick as part of 4 Mechanised Brigade.

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, an armoured regiment based in Fallingbostel, Germany with 7 Armoured Brigade.

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS), currently a light role infantry battalion (having re-roled from armoured infantry to support operations in Afghanistan) based in Fallingbostel, Germany as part of 7 Armoured Brigade.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion royal Regiment of Scotland (5 SCOTS), an air assault battalion based in Canterbury as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade.

19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Highland Gunners), an artillery regiment equipped with light guns and AS90 based in Tidworth with 1 Mechanised Brigade.

(Note: 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners), a light artillery regiment based in Lisburn as part of 19 Light Brigade, has been disbanded along with 19 Light Brigade as part of the restructuring of the Army following the Strategic Defence and Security Review).

14. There are seven major Territorial Army (TA) units under command of 51 (Scottish) Brigade:

105 Regiment Royal Artillery.

71 Engineer Regiment.

6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (52nd Lowland) (6 SCOTS).

7th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (51st Highland) (7 SCOTS).

225 Medical Regiment.

The Scottish Transport Regiment.

Regional Training Centre (Scotland).

15. There are a further two major and seven minor TA units based in Scotland but under command of brigade headquarters outside Scotland:

32 Signal Regiment.

205 Field Hospital.

A Company 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment.

243 Company RMP.

52 Military Intelligence Company.

2 Signal Squadron (38 Signal Regiment).

125 Ration Squadron (159 Supply Regiment).

Personnel Recovery Unit Edinburgh.

Personnel Recovery Centre Edinburgh.

16. There are four Officer Training Corps in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Tayforth (comprising Dundee, St. Andrews and Stirling), eight Army Cadet Force battalions, two independent sub-units (Orkney and Shetland Islands) and 15 Combined Cadet Force Army sections.

RAF

17. As at 1 April 2010 there were 3,420 regular RAF personnel based in Scotland. There were also some 300 volunteer reserves and 3,300 cadets.

18. There are currently three main RAF stations in Scotland:

RAF Lossiemouth, which is home to: three squadrons of Tornado fast jet aircraft, a search and rescue helicopter unit, and an RAF Regiment field squadron;

RAF Leuchars, which is home to: a squadron of Typhoon fast jet aircraft, an RAF Regiment field squadron and a military mountain rescue team; and

RAF Kinloss, which used to be home to Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft but ceased routine flying operations last year. The station is also home to the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre and a military mountain rescue team. 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) is scheduled to move to Kinloss later this year.

19. There are four Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons in Scotland, as well as two University Air Squadrons, two Air Experience Flights, 87 Air Training Corps squadrons and ten Combined Cadet Force RAF sections.

Estate/Infrastructure

20. MOD owns outright some 29,000 hectares of land in Scotland. The Department also holds rights over 117,000 hectares.

21. Apart from the main bases, much of the MOD estate in Scotland consists of training areas for infantry and armoured vehicles, air weapon and air defence trials and training, test ranges for missiles and ordnance and other specialised training environments.

22. Other MOD sites include: Defence Support Group at Stirling; radar heads; and specialised research and development centres, such as the underwater test and evaluation centre and a seismic monitoring station.

July 2012