London reviews Scottish military readiness

Scotland would lose out on the billions of dollars of defense spending from the British government through independence, the British defense minister said.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond scheduled a referendum for independence from Great Britain next year. Veterans Minister Keith Brown said Scotland has a strategic position in the North Atlantic and will maintain an effective fighting force as an independent country.

The British Defense Ministry published a policy paper Tuesday saying an independent Scotland would have to make do without the $54.6 billion annual defense budget from the British government.

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