Yes. Following a vote for independence, the Scottish Government and its agencies Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Development International will continue to support Scotland’s indigenous defence industries in existing, new and emerging markets.

We plan to make sure we have all of the defence capabilities we need. Our policy is for Scotland to work in partnership, build the necessary alliances and work with international agencies – such as the NATO ‘Smart Defence Initiative’ – which will allow Scotland to align our defence requirements with the collective needs and priorities of NATO allies.

The Scottish Government expects that the proportion of the budget allocated for procurement of single use military equipment will be at least equivalent to that currently allocated by the Westminster Government (14 per cent in 2012/13).

In addition, many of our defence sector companies are already successfully competing in international markets and will continue to grow their business in their traditional areas of expertise and in developing areas of business. For example, whilst refit and ship repair is still core work for Babcock Rosyth, the company is currently enhancing its position within the offshore energy and marine services markets, such as the £30 million order that BP placed for 70 subsea structures in January 2013.

The Scotland Institute’s paper on ‘Defence and Security in an Independent Scotland’ outlines key areas in which the Scottish Government can help the diverse defence industries in Scotland to grow, including through investment in R&D, support for our niche strengths in high technology areas such as defence electronics, and science and innovation funding to maintain our global reputation.

Source: Scotland's Future, Scottish Government, November 2013.