Scotland’s defense industry is taking center stage at a U.K.-Norway security summit in Oslo, where the British government is emphasizing investment, jobs and the country’s northern security role.
The two countries are co-hosting the annual Atlantic Future Forum this week aboard HMS Prince of Wales, an aircraft carrier built in Rosyth. The government said Oslo marks the summit’s first gathering on the European mainland.
Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander will outline Scotland’s role in U.K. defense. The government said HMNB Clyde helps sustain the U.K.'s nuclear deterrent and that RAF Lossiemouth keeps Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons ready to guard national airspace at all hours.
Scotland’s recorded defense investment totaled £2.53 billion in 2025/26, its highest level in the available series. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is linked to 26,300 jobs across Scotland, with 12,200 in industry, according to the announcement.
The government pointed to its Scotland Defence Growth Deal and two newly launched Defence Technical Excellence Colleges. It said the Scottish Government had now agreed to provide matching funds for the colleges, which are intended to help young Scots gain skills for future defense work. The government presented Scotland’s defense industry as part of its reindustrialization priority and its commitment to the High North.
Alexander connected the investment case to Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying the conflict underscored the need to protect Britain’s security. He plans to argue in Oslo for more investment, employment and industrial capacity, citing Norway’s £10 billion agreement for warships built on the Clyde.
The government also cited the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force’s largest military activity to date, conducted this autumn, with thousands of troops deployed from the Baltic states to Iceland. British forces working with JEF partners have tracked threats to undersea infrastructure and monitored Russia’s shadow fleet, using artificial intelligence to help protect the seas and critical infrastructure.
The Atlantic Future Forum brings together defense ministers, military chiefs, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, industry representatives and academics to discuss defense, security and technology.
