Edited sentence: More than a dozen of Britain's most senior defence veterans warned on 14 April 2014 in an open letter that Alex Salmond's plan to scrap Trident after Scottish independence would put the UK's nuclear deterrent "in jeopardy".On 15 April 2014, current First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal Navy Admiral Sir George Zambellas wrote an op-ed piece in the Daily Telegraph that laid out the case for a "No" vote.One of Scotland’s most senior military figures warned on 8 November 2013 that independence would leave the country “inadequately protected” and the rest of the UK “less well defended” than it is today.Retired Black Watch commander Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin, a former Adjutant General of the British Army and Commandant of Sandhurst, gave his frank assessment at a conference on global security at the University of Glasgow on 8 November 2013.Sir Irwin said that "The result of a split, in my military opinion, would be a British Isles collectively less well defended and whose global interest would be much less well served than they are now... From a military point of view there is I think little doubt that the nation and its interests, despite the best efforts of all involved, would not only be less well protected than they are now but more to the point would actually be inadequately protected... We are far better as we are.The letter was co-signed by former chiefs of the defence staff Air Chief Marshal Lord Stirrup, General Lord Walker, Admiral the Lord Boyce and Field Marshal Lord Guthrie; first sea lords and chiefs of the naval staff Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh, Admiral Sir Jock Slater; former chief of the general staff General Sir Mike Jackson; former chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire; and former permanent secretary and security and intelligence coordinator at the Cabinet office Sir David Omand.Zambellas said it would weaken the maritime defence of the UK