Defence expert Prof Michael Clarke to speak on Scottish Independence at University of Glasgow

Director General of the Royal United Services Institute and former Director of the Centre for Defence Studies, Professor Michael Clarke, will be presenting a lecture entitled ‘Scottish Independence and its impact on UK security’ at the University of Glasgow on 26 February 2013.

The lecture is part of the Stevenson Lecture Series which examines the impact of the Scottish independence referendum on Scottish citizens.

Professor Clarke will look beyond the implications of dividing up the British army’s air, naval and nuclear resources, and explore the lesser discussed sides of the argument.

Professor Clarke said: “Most people discussing the defence implications of Scottish independence have concentrated on the implications of splitting the British Army and re-locating air and naval bases – especially the nuclear facilities. These are indeed important matters, but they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to thinking through the full implications for the possible defence of an independent Scotland and for the remainder of the United Kingdom.

“From international alliances to expenditure, equipment, through to policing and intelligence; a series of genuinely challenging questions arise to which the answers, in the event, will be almost entirely political.”