The armed forces in Scotland includes a variety of different sectors, namely military bases and units, and support services for the armed forces personal and their families. The Ministry of Defence in Scotland employ around 25,000 people, where over 15,000 of them serve in the armed forces. Keep reading as we take an in-depth look into the modern life of the armed forces in Scotland today.

A Brief History

In 1707, The Treaty of Union saw The Kingdom of Scotland unite with The Kingdom of England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. It is then that Scottish armed forces merged with the English armed forces and formed the British Military. The armed forces in Scotland include military units and bases in Scotland from all three services, including the British Army, RAF, and the navy which all consist of service men and women from Scotland.

Life Today

Life in the army today includes many opportunities as well as challenges and a lot of support is provided for service people and their families. The Welcome to Scotland guide provides information on housing, healthcare and education. The families of the service people experience constant changes including deployment and relocations and it can be a very confusing time. They constantly need to change schools and jobs and always have to make new friends. It is challenging, especially for children who may feel that they never know who or where they are meant to be.

Training

To become part of the army in Scotland you need to go through training that is both physically and mentally demanding. The first step is the Reserve Basic Training which is also known as Phase 1. This training takes place over 3 weeks and includes the following:

• Learning about the army
• Discipline
• Teamwork
• Health and fitness
• Using a rifle and handling a weapon
• First Aid
• Marching
• Survival and fieldcraft skills
• Rappelling

After Phase 1 of the training process, recruits will receive their berets and continue with the Initial Trade Training to start job training.

Current Missions and Roles

There are over 10,000 regular and reserve troops and civil servants that work for the British Army in Scotland. There are many roles that need to be filled within the forces which include delivering UK operations, providing support to allies in other countries as well as providing support to the Scottish Government. Other roles of the army include:

• Combat
• Medical
• HR, finance and support
• Logistics and support
• Engineering
• Intelligence, communications and IT
• Music

Life on the Barracks

Modern day life on the barracks can be compared to living in an apartment or dormitory, but with rather strict rules and restrictions and a very high level of cleanliness. The barracks are where service members can escape for a quiet place to relax with many amenities at their disposal including the internet. This allows service members to enjoy playing online slots and other online casino games as a pastime at many top UK slot sites.

Facing Challenges

As with anything, there are various challenges that service men and their families face. Deprivation, health, housing, and education all naturally pose challenges. However, the Scottish Government has taken a role in providing steps to combat these challenges and provides support. The publication of The Welcome to Scotland guide has helped service men and families with housing, healthcare and education, while a toolkit encourages businessmen to employ veterans. The civil society and military work together to provide support and help the armed forces community.

Conclusion

As we end off, you should now have a better understanding about modern life in the armed forces in Scotland. We know life comes with many opportunities and challenges and service personnel and their families need a lot of support just to get them through. The Scottish Government has pulled through and provided the necessary help and services needed.