I understand that on a military forum issues of defence will be central to discussions. That said, I must admit that what I find amusing in this thread is the underlying assumption, predominantly offered by those vehemently opposed to Scottish independence, is that Scotland would be expected to stand up a military capability straight away. They further expect that Scotland's military capability should be measured against that of the current UK. This is rather strange as it does not recognise: military capabilities are grown and change throughout a country's history; Scotland's foreign policy would not be as ambitious as that of the current UK and hence her defence policy would be similarly less ambitious. Furthermore Scotland and the remaining UK would have defence interests in common, and from common interest come cooperation. For some, the defence argument seams to be a totem upon which the credibility of independence hangs. I am not so convinced that the man, woman or 16+ teenager in the street really shares that view.