Scottish Independence: ‘Lower defence bill' after independence
Scottish taxpayers could pay about £1.5bn a year less for defending an independent Scotland than they currently pay towards UK defence spending, according to a report.
The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) study claimed annual costs could be cut from £3.3bn to about £1.8bn.
The report outlined the idea of a “relatively modest” independent Scottish defence structure.
It would be comparable in strength and size with other small European states.
Phi Beta Iota: This is interesting for two reasons. First, it points out the obvious, that separating from the empire comes with a dramatic savings in not having to contribute to the empire's bureaucratic fraud, waste, and abuse. Second, and perhaps even more interesting, it suggests that the future of armed conflict may DEMAND that national, state, and local forces be trained, equipped, and organized to operate as a confederacy of forces. This has HUGE implications for C4ISR, and also opens the door to finally creating concepts and doctrine for harnessing the intelligence of all eight tribes or communities, and going to war (or waging peace) with thinkers harmonized by shared information and intelligence, not just shooters.
