Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on Thursday 7 May. In this series we look at what decisions are made in our parliament which affect daily lives in Scotland. So far we’ve looked at Education,  NHS Scotland, Transport, Migration,  Energy, Housing, Farming and Fishing, and Tourism.

Defence and National Security.

Powers over Defence and National Security are completely under the control of the UK Government. Why discuss this topic during a Scottish Parliament election ? – because the Military presence in Scotland affects all of us.

As the US/Israel war of choice with Iran disrupts world trade and global economic stability, President Trump has hinted at no longer supporting the UK claim to the Falklands. He has continually criticised NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), the UN (United Nations), the UK Government, and the governments of Europe. Trump has also heaped praise on Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and threatened to take over Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and NATO member.

President Trump, who has never served in active military service due to having ‘bone spurs’, has disparaged the contribution and memory of veterans from the UK, and the US.

You might think, what has this got to do with an election to the Scottish Parliament if it has no powers over Defence and National Security?

Airports.

The US uses airports in Scotland for military transports and missions.

Prestwick Airport was purchased by the Scottish Government in 2013 in order to secure its future and that of the hundreds of jobs reliant on it.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is a US Government DLA fuel contract location – SPE60725D0076.

Glasgow Prestwck Airport has been providing aviation services to the military for almost 90 years. – Prestwick Aviation Services, Military.

In March 2026, Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens, Gillian Mackay, raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament at First Minister’s Questions of US military refuelling jets using Prestwick Airport. She said:

” Those jets have gone on to fly missions in the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. Military experts say that that is concrete proof of our complicity in a war that has killed more than 1,300 people in Iran, including more than 200 children.”

In response FM John Swinney said:

“I have looked closely at the situation in relation to Prestwick airport. The Scottish Government acquired Prestwick airport on the basis of an intervention that it was within our powers to exercise in relation to economic development and employment.

“If I were to take the appropriate steps to prevent flights from entering Scotland, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers, all of which are reserved to the United Kingdom Government. I would like to be able to exercise powers in that respect, but I would be exceeding my constitutional authority if I did so. That is a matter of regret for me.”

Although the Scottish Government purchased Prestwick Airport, it has no power to stop US military jets refuelling there. Only the UK Government might possibly be able to do that, but could it in reality do so ?

Another airport owned by the Scottish Government is Wick. When the US invaded Venezuela and kidnapped its President, threatened to take over Greenland, and seized a tanker in Scottish waters, Mercedes Villalba, a Labour MSP asked the First Minister in January 2026, in the Scottish Parliament:

“What assurance can he give to my constituents in the north-east that their Scottish Government-owned infrastructure is not being used as a staging post to violate international law?”

John Swinney had to admit that :

” I and the Government have no knowledge as to whether aircraft that landed at Wick airport on the morning of 7 January—yesterday—were involved in that initiative. We have no knowledge as to whether that is the case. I can tell the Parliament for transparency that Wick airport is regularly used by aircraft to refuel to enable them to make journeys across the Atlantic and into the Arctic areas. That has been a long-standing activity.

“Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd does not scrutinise the basis on which any requests for landing are made in those circumstances. I stress that the Government and Highlands and Islands Airports do not have any knowledge of whether the aircraft that landed yesterday were used in the US-UK operation against the Russian tanker.”

HMNB Clyde (Faslane)

The Faslane Naval Base is the Royal Navy’s main presence and largest military establishment in Scotland. “It is home to the core of the Submarine Service, including the nation’s nuclear deterrent, and the new generation of hunter-killer submarines.”

More than 6,500 civilians and Service personnel are employed on the site. 

“The Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, 8 miles from Faslane, is responsible for the storage, processing, maintenance and issue of key elements of the UK’s Trident Deterrent Missile System and the ammunitioning of all submarine embarked weapons.”

Trident began patrols in 1994, and fully replaced its predecessor, the Polaris submarine fleet, in 1996.

The Faslane Naval Base would be a prime target in the event of hostilities. The implications for Scotland would be deadly because it is so close to Glasgow (25 Miles/40kms) and large centres of population.

A Faslane Peace Camp has been long established to highlight the dangers of using nuclear weapons in any conflict. It is located in Helensburgh.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, visited the Faslane Naval Base on 18 April. He had travelled there after being at a security meeting in France where the US/Israel/Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was the topic.

Across the whole of the UK Stop the War Coalition reports via Declassified UK, that the US military owns 22 sites. One of those is at Lossiemouth. The Scottish Government was not consulted about the use of Lossiemouth for US aircraft. In addition to those 22, the US also operates intelligence sites.

RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, ” is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) stations which protect UK airspace. 

“Team Lossie is made up of four Typhoon combat aircraft squadrons, three Poseidon MRA1 squadrons, an RAF Regiment squadron, and a Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment reserve squadron.

“RAF Lossiemouth personnel and aircraft also support operations worldwide and host numerous national and international exercises.”

Landownership

Who owns Scotland ? 25,000 Hectares of it is owned by the Ministry of Defence, worth £1.3billion. The MOD has 374 sites in Scotland employing 25,000 people.  In 2001, the MOD bought 14,877 acres at the Cape Wrath training area and bombing range, land that they had previously used on a leasehold basis. As a result of acquiring land in this way the MoD is currently one of the largest landowners in the country, owning or having rights to nearly 1.5% of Scotland. – Ban the Bomb.

According to the MOD its Scotland operations play ” a vital role in the combined defence and security of the UK, contributing significantly to our national and European security.”

“With strategic bases like HMNB Clyde and RAF Lossiemouth, and companies such as BAE Systems, Leonardo and Babcock International forming a world-class industrial base across Scotland, the defence sector strengthens our national security while creating skilled jobs and driving economic growth.”

Scotland has a population of 5.5 million. The size and extent of military sites and operations is significant in comparison. It is an area the Scottish Parliament, its MSPs , and the Scottish Government has no control over. Even when US military jets are using Scottish Government owned airports, no information is passed to Scotland’s elected government.

Defence and military installations in Scotland are major employers and they contribute to local economies. They also place Scotland in the frontline of military operations of both the UK and the US. The limitations of the devolved settlement means that our Parliament has no say on what happens on them or their use. Our MSPs can ask questions on our behalf if we are concerned about what is happening and the use it is being made of by the US, but that’s the limit of what they can do.

Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on Thursday 7 May.

Fiona Grahame.