The UK Secretary of State for Defence has urged the SNP to “come clean” over their plans for Scotland’s armed forces after a Yes vote.
Philip Hammond visited the Arbroath home of 45 Commando Royal Marines on Monday and said previous plans to move the unit closer to its English-based compatriots, 40 and 42 Cdo, would have been of “enormous cost” and “minimal benefit”.
He said the UK Government intends to retain the Angus-based marines at their home of the past four decades.
Mr Hammond met personnel and viewed demonstrations on skills and equipment.
After his inspection, the MP challenged Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond to address allegations that a “Scottish defence force” would be unaffordable for a new-born nation.
“We’ve had an ongoing engagement with the nationalists on their so-called defence policy,” he said.
“We were waiting for publication of the (independence blueprint) white paper, which was supposed to answer all the questions in fact it raises more questions than answers.
“We haven’t yet got any satisfactory responses to the dismantling of their so-called policies that we’ve done.”
The Scottish Government previously proposed a £2.5 billion defence force were there to be a “yes” in September’s referendum.
Veterans’ minister Keith Brown said the plan is for armed services in Scotland to grow from 11,000 personnel to 15,000.
However, Mr Hammond said requests for further detail on affordability post-independence have been met with “vagueness”.
He added: “I look forward to coming up to Scotland again over the next few months, on more than one occasion, and we shall continue to raise the concerns that I know a lot of Scottish people have about the vagueness of the plans for a future Scottish defence force and the unaffordability of what’s been set out.”
Mr Hammond’s predecessor, Liam Fox, stated in 2011 that Condor-based marines would be transferred to south-west England “within five years”.