Scotland’s defence must deliver security, skills and jobs for our young people

Unparalleled levels of settler violence in the West Bank.

And the biggest and deadliest conflict in Europe since 1945 continuing to rage in Ukraine.

The world is an increasingly dangerous place and it falls to our governments to ensure the safety and security of the people of Scotland. The uncomfortable truth that we have to confront is that Scotland is on the frontline of many of the threats we could potentially face. The presence of Russian jets over the North Sea is nothing new.

But the presence of Russian Shadow Fleet tankers and the rising tensions over Ukraine have underlined the need for robust security measures. That’s why it was so important that Defence Secretary Wes Streeting stated plainly that the First Minister’s assertion that Scotland’s coast is ‘undefended’ was totally wrong. Every day, Scotland’s navy and air force personnel monitor our skies and waters to keep us safe and they must be respected for the job that they do.

But what is clear is that we now need to expand our efforts to protect Scotland in an uncertain world. This is a moment where the moral duty to protect the people of our country coincides with an opportunity to drive an industrial and manufacturing renaissance.

What I want to see now is communities across Scotland benefit from the need to renew our national defences. Only last week, I wrote in this newspaper about the need to re-energise our post-industrial towns.

And I have spoken for years about the need to focus on skills for our young people and supporting our college sector.

The opportunities before us are clear.

Already we have a level of shipbuilding on the Clyde unseen in decades due to the securing of the Norway Frigate contract.

It’s vital that other projects make it to our other sectors of industrial production. But we lack the skilled workers to benefit from these investments.

Wes Streeting was spot on when he said that there is no justification for hiring thousands of workers from abroad to meet our defence manufacturing needs. The opportunities before us must belong to the young people of Scotland.

My constituency has long been a hub for defence jobs – primarily based around HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane – and I know the huge benefits that it has for our community.

Beyond a sense of community cohesion, the jobs are a boost for other local businesses and communities and they provide opportunities for the young people of the area.

Why shouldn’t the young workers of Clydebank, Rosyth, Aberdeen or Orkney not also benefit?

Good, well-paid, and unionised jobs can be an investment both in our national security and in our economic future. As the world continues to be a place of danger and threat, it is our duty to both safeguard Scots and provide them with the skills that they will need to thrive.

It’s time to put Scotland first by investing in our security and in our future.