The government is embarking on a "potentially dangerous" policy of cutting back on armed forces manpower, the Commons defence committee said yesterday.

In a highly critical report the MPs said that the new systems were not even in place, and yet there were plans to reduce both manpower and platforms - ships, aircraft and tanks.

However clever the new technology systems, there was often "no substitute" for troops on the ground, according to the MPs.

"A policy of reducing or restructuring existing forces in advance of acquiring new capabilities is potentially dangerous," the report said.

The MPs also criticised the MoD for spending too much time on overseas operations.

The report said: "We are not convinced that an essentially reactive approach to defence of the UK homeland is satisfactory, given the nature of the threat to the UK today."

Meanwhile, European defence policy must be centred on NATO, Geoff Hoon has said.

The defence secretary said that the EU constitution would also strengthen transatlantic ties and lead to an increase in spending on hardware.