The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the projected Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army under the forthcoming sweeping reorganisation of the infantry, and will become operational by 2008. It will consist of five regular battalions, each formerly an individual regiment (with the exception of one battalion, which will be a merger of two regiments), and two battalions of the Territorial Army.

History

As part of restructuring in the British Army, the Royal Regiment of Scotland's creation was announced by the Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon in the House of Commons on 16 December 2004, after the merger of several regiments was outlined in a defence white paper several months earlier.

The regiment will consist of a total of five battalions: one of these will be formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, while the others will each be formed from one of the remaining Scottish regiments. These will retain their names, with battalion numbers as subtitles. Of all of the new regiments to be formed following the announcement of 16 December 2004, this is the only one where the former regimental titles are prominent.

The plans are immensely controversial, with huge public opposition due to the symbolic loss of the individual regiments' history and status. An organization called Save the Scottish Regiments has been created to campaign against the plan, and the influential newspaper The Scotsman has also opposed it.

The status of the Black Watch has been particularly controversial. When the plan to amalgamate the regiments was announced, the Black Watch was on duty in a dangerous part of Iraq. Hoon was accused of "stabbing the soldiers in the back" and being motivated purely by political concerns.

Organisation

All regular battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, to preserve regional ties and former regimental indentites, will take the name of their former individual regiments.

• Royal Regiment of Scotland
  • Regular battalions
    • 1st Battalion, the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers
    • 2nd Battalion, the Royal Highland Fusiliers
    • 3rd Battalion, the Black Watch
    • 4th Battalion, the Highlanders
    • 5th Battalion, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
  • Territorial Army units
    • 6th Battalion (V), the 52nd Lowland Regiment
    • 7th Battalion (V), the 51st Highland Regiment

See also

• Structure of the British Army
• Delivering Security in a Changing World

External links

• British Army
• MoD press release Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announces the regimental changes
• BBC News MP thrown out of House of Commons over regimental changes