Since the passing of the Treaty of Union in 1707 which unified the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England to the create the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scottish armed forces were merged with the English armed forces and remain part of the overall British Armed Forces.

The British Armed Forces presence in Scotland include military bases and units based in or associated with the country from all three services; The British Army (regular and Army Reserve), the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy.Roughly there are 11,100 Scottish soldiers part of the Regular Armed Forces, 4,000 Ministry of Defence civilian personnel, 2,200 Volunteer Reserves. By 2020, Scotland's Regular Armed Forces personnel was expected to rise to 12,500, whilst the number of Trained Volunteer Reserves was projected to increase to 4,250. In 2014, the total number of army personnel in Scotland was 17,300.

Scotland's geographical proximity to the North Atlantic and the High North make it an important component of the overall United Kingdom's defence and security. Military bases in Scotland, including RAF Lossiemouth and HMNB Clyde are significant to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) northward defence. The country is home to 113 military establishments, including the United Kingdom's Trident nuclear power programme, Cape Wrath which is the only naval gunfire and firing range in the UK, the Benbecula live fire range for the Multiple Launch Rocket System and a NATO exercise area in Galloway Forest.

From 2020, Scotland is home to one of only three Royal Navy main bases whereby all submarines of the Royal Navy are based in Scotland, one of the seven Adaptable Force Brigades of the British Army and a Royal Air Force fast jet main operating base.

History

Kingdom of Scotland

In 1262, the Kingdom of Scotland invaded Norway beginning a war which lasted until 1266 and resulted in the Treaty of Perth. Conflict between Scotland and Norway began over disagreements of who controlled the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland, however, Scotland later recognised Norwegian sovereignty over both Shetland and Orkney, purchasing the islands from Norway for a sum of 4,000 marks. Under the terms of the Treaty of Perth, Norway acknowledged Scottish sovereignty over territory it had disputed with Scotland. The payment was paid over the course of subsequent decades, until its cancellation as part of the agreement for the marriage of James III of Scotland and Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland in 1469.

Before relinquishing its independence in 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland was an independent sovereign state and over the course of its history had engaged in various military battles with the Kingdom of England, particularly over the issue of the Wars of Scottish Independence. The First War of Scottish Independence began following the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328, lasting a total of thirty-two years. De facto independence was established in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn. The wars were caused by the attempts of the English kings to establish their authority over Scotland, while the Scots fought to keep English rule and authority out of Scotland.;

A second war between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England began in 1332 following the invasion of Scotland by Edward Balliol and lasted until 1357. The King of England, Edward III, invaded Scotland in 1333 and besieged the important trading town of Berwick. A large Scottish army attempted to relieve it but was heavily defeated at the Battle of Halidon Hill. Scotland had established an alliance with the Kingdom of France, known as the Auld Alliance. France was unhappy about an English expansion into Scotland and so covertly supported and financed the loyalists of David II of Scotland. Allies of John Balliol fell out among themselves and Balliol lost control of most of Scotland by late 1334. In early 1335, the French attempted to broker a peace but failed. Further French-sponsored peace talks failed in 1336 and by May 1337, King Philip VI of France engineered a clear break between France and England, starting the Hundred Years' War.

Scots Army

Prior to the Treaty of Union 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland's army was the Scots Army and their navy was the Royal Scots Navy. At the Restoration in 1660 the Privy Council of Scotland established a force of several infantry regiments and a few troops of horse to act as a standing army. These included a troop of Life Guards, a second troop of which was raised in 1661, Lieutenant-general William Drummond's Regiment of Horse, five independent troops of horse, a regiment of Foot Guards, later known as the Scots Guards and Le Regiment de Douglas, formed and serving in France since 1633, which returned and eventually became the Royal Regiment of Foot.K. A. J. McLay, "The Restoration and the Glorious Revolution 1660–1702", in E. M. Spiers, J. A. Crang and M. J. Strickland, eds, A Military History of Scotland (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012), , p. 14.C. C. P. Lawson, A History of the Uniforms of the British Army Volume 1 (P. Davies, 1967), p. 57.

There were also attempts to found a national militia of 20,000 foot and 2,000 horse on the English model. The standing army was mainly employed in suppressing Covenanter rebellions and the guerrilla war waged by the Cameronians in the East.E. M. Furgol, "Warfare, weapons and fortifications: 3 1600–1700" in M. Lynch, ed.., The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), , pp. 637–8. In addition, a "Foote Company of Highland Men" was raised and three troops of Scots Dragoons in 1678. Another three were added to make The Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons in 1681, by which point they were already mounted on grey horses that would give them their name of the Royal Scots Greys.C. Grant, The Royal Scots Greys (Botley: Osprey, 1972), , pp. 1–3. On the eve of the Glorious Revolution the standing army in Scotland was about 3,000 men in various regiments and another 268 veterans in the major garrison towns, at an annual cost of about £80,000.J. Young, "Army: 1600–1750" in M. Lynch, ed.. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), , pp. 24–5.

Treaty of Union

Under the terms of the Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, the Scots Army was integrated with the English army. It became part of the British Armed Forces. Following a referendum on devolution for Scotland in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re–established together with an executive which operate under the Scotland Act 1998.

Defence and national security remain reserved matters under the Scotland Act 1998 which mean they are the overall responsibility of the UK parliament and reserved matters are set out in schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. The UK Government claims that Scotland's geography, and military capabilities is essential for the UK and NATO's defence and security in the North Atlantic and the High North. The UK government identified the following factors that may influence priorities in these regions;

Increasing Russian hostilities Chinese interest in Arctic politics New sea routes & traffic (including new routes opened by retreating ice) Resource competition Vulnerability of offshore and subsea infrastructure e.g. 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage The UK Government pledged to increase the regular armed forces to 12,500 by 2020, which has not been met and has thus been criticised by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish government argues that Westminster's commitment to nuclear weapons has weakened other aspects of Scottish defence, and that Trident renewal will reduce funding for conventional equipment and the number of service personnel. They also claim that "cost overruns are endemic and major projects have been significantly delayed" and use the example of two aircraft carriers built before the availability of aircraft for them.

Today, the Royal Regiment of Scotland – the most senior and only Scottish regiment line infantry of the British Army – consists of several infantry battalions, namely, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (2 SCOTS), the Black Watch (3 SCOTS), the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) (4 SCOTS), and the Balaklava Company, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 SCOTS). The reserve battalions include the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, 6th Battalion (6 SCOTS), the 51st Highland Volunteers, 7th Battalion (7 SCOTS), the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The Royal Scots Borderers (1 SCOTS) was disbanded in 2021, with its personnel forming the 1st Battalion of the newly formed Ranger Regiment (1 RANGERS).

The Scots Guards is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland.

Scottish Government role

Whilst defence and security remain a reserved matter to the UK Government under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Government does have a role to play in terms of supporting Scotland's military personnel and veterans.

The Scottish Government advocates that it "aims to put the needs of the armed forces and veterans community at the forefront of policy thinking, development and delivery" as it "recognises the sacrifice of the armed forces, veterans and their families". A junior ministerial post was created in the Scottish Government under First Minister Humza Yousaf.

The Minister for Veterans provides an update to the Scottish Parliament annually on the governments work relating to community support for Scotland's personnel and veterans. The Minister for Veterans is responsible for ensuring Scottish Government support is in place for veterans and currently serving personnel.

The main objectives of the Scottish Government through its policy approach to supporting Scottish military personnel and veterans are:

to ensure no individual faces disadvantage if they are either current service personnel or veterans, and their families in Scotland can access public services and support that Scotland is viewed as a ‘destination of choice’ for service leavers and their families to provide substantial and visible Scottish Government support and services for the armed forces community

Independence

In the event of Scotland regaining its independence, the Scottish Government would establish a Scottish Armed Forces and work with the UK Government for the transfer of defence personnel to the newly established Scottish armed forces. The Scottish Government would conduct a Defence and Security Review to examine the components required for defence and security of an independent Scotland. The Scottish Government has long advocated for the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland, such as the Trident nuclear programme. It is proposed the make up of the Scottish Armed Forces would include land, sea and air components which the creation of a new Joint Forces Headquarters would oversee. The Scottish Security and Intelligence Agency would serve as the security and intelligence body of the Scottish Government.