Any reduction in infantry numbers could be “counter productive” according to a former Black Watch soldier.
Major Ronnie Proctor spoke to The Courier after publication of the strategic defence review revealed that army personnel will be cut by 7000 over the next five years.
Although there were fears that The Black Watch could be axed, the lengthy document does not mention specific units.
However, Major Proctor warned against complacency.
He said the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland made it easier to cut infantry numbers.
“When they formed this regiment it made it easier for them to get rid of a battalion like The Black Watch than when they were independent regiments,” he said.
“If they merge or get rid of a battalion, although there might be a lot of public opinion, at the end of the day it will still be an easier task.
“If they want to reduce them it will have such an impact if they get rid of any of the historic regiments.
“Nobody is safe because the country has got to cut its costs to a level it can afford.”
He advised that the main priority for the government was to remain committed to soldiers on the front line, and speculated that support personnel could be among the first to go.
Major Proctor added, “The front-line groups have to have the best support and do the job until the Afghanistan task is finished.
“At the moment, there is a great requirement for infantries and we just have enough to do it.
“I wouldn’t say that any battalion is safe, but there is more of a reason for keeping those like The Black Watch because they provide so much in places like Afghanistan.
“Until we read the small print, though, we don’t know what is going to happen. There are going to be interesting times between now and 2015 when we start to see the cuts take effect.”
While Fort George, the current home of The Black Watch, was also overlooked in the review, there are still fears that cuts could force the army to pull out of the historic base near Inverness.