UK Scottish Secretary takes Scotland’s defence case to Atlantic Future Forum in Oslo

The UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander, is in Oslo this week to argue that Scotland’s bases and defence industry are integral to the security of the United Kingdom and its allies. He is attending the Atlantic Future Forum, which the UK and Norway are co-hosting aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, according to the UK government.

The UK government said it is the first time the annual summit has been held in mainland Europe and described the venue as a signal of commitment to European security and the High North. HMS Prince of Wales was built at Rosyth in Scotland. The forum is described as an international gathering of defence, security and technology leaders, bringing together defence ministers, military chiefs, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, industry representatives and academics.

What London says Scotland contributes

In the announcement, Alexander is due to point to the base at HMNB Clyde, which supports the UK’s nuclear deterrent, and to the Typhoon jets on Quick Reaction Alert at RAF Lossiemouth, which the government says stand ready around the clock to guard UK airspace.

The government also released figures on the economic side. It says defence investment in Scotland reached £2.53 billion in 2025/26, the highest since records began, and that the Ministry of Defence supports 26,300 jobs there, including 12,200 in industry. It adds that two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges are being launched, which the Scottish Government has now agreed to match fund.

“Scotland’s defence capabilities and industry are absolutely integral to our collective security,” Alexander said in the statement. He added that he would make the case in Oslo “for more investment, more jobs and more capability building on Norway’s £10 billion deal for warships built on the Clyde.”

The High North focus

The statement ties the visit to Russia’s war in Ukraine and to what it calls growing instability around the world. It says the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) carried out its largest military activity to date this autumn, deploying thousands of troops from the Baltics to Iceland. Working with JEF allies, UK forces have been tracking threats to undersea infrastructure and monitoring Russia’s shadow fleet, the government says.

The Oslo gathering has already produced a naval agreement. As Geopolitiki reported, the UK and its JEF partners signed a maritime initiative on the carrier: UK and JEF allies sign Northern Navies Initiative on HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo.

The figures and the description of Scotland’s role are the UK government’s own, published by the Scotland Office, and have not been independently verified.