Defence & Security

Supporting Scotland

ALBA believe that the Defence and Security of an independent Scotland should be underpinned not only by the principle of Defending Scotland but also by being a nation that supports the peaceful common good of the world.

The Defence footprint in Scotland is of massive value and strategic importance and the size, format and capability of the Scottish Defence Force would be primarily based on naval forces and coastal defence for the following reasons:

The size of Territorial waters and EEZ.

The impact of climate change on the opening of new sea routes with the melting of ice caps in the Arctic Ocean.

The need to patrol and enforce Scottish Fishing rights and protect offshore assets in both hydrocarbons and renewables.

At our inaugural conference in 2021, the ALBA Party made a strong statement that we believe Nuclear Weapons do not belong in our waters or on our shores. You can read our policy on nuclear weapons in an independent Scotland here.

We will advocate for the Government of an independent Scotland to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and will campaign for other nations of the world to do so.

There is a long-standing national consensus in existence that Scotland should not host nuclear weapons and the ALBA Party demand that the negotiating party for an independent Scotland secure the speedy and safe removal of the nuclear fleet from Faslane, which will be replaced by conventional naval forces; all weapons of mass destruction and all associated nuclear materials negotiated to be safely removed by day one of Scotland becoming an independent nation.

The Government of an independent Scotland should inform NATO that Scotland will not host nuclear weapons and that Scotland will cooperate with NATO in so far as its member states participate in UN-sanctioned operations or in non-nuclear defensive exercises. The ALBA Party does not believe that Scotland should seek NATO membership.

We believe that Scotland should be a participating state of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to work for stability, peace, and democracy through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that contributes to sustainable progress.

The ALBA Party recognises Scotland has a proud army tradition and therefore believes an independent Scotland should reinstate historic units disbanded by the UK Government such as the Royal Scots, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and Black Watch Regiments and battalions as part of the Scottish Defence force structure.

We believe that an independent Scotland should build a footprint of defence forces totalling 15,000 regular and 5,000 reserve personnel in the region.

The ALBA Party have committed to convening a steering group of experts, which will further develop party policy into a full defence and security paper.

Nuclear Weapons
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