A powerful committee of MPs has warned that the Ministry of Defence is concentrating too much on technology at the expense of troops and anti-terrorism measures.

The Commons defence select committee said in a new report on Thursday that the armed forces are suffering from serious "over-stretch".

With the forthcoming government spending review set to put a further squeeze on MoD resources, the report on the department's own defence white paper makes grim reading for ministers.

The document is "depressingly short" on details of how to ease the demands on troops, the committee concluded.

The MPs argue that the army, air force and navy are not prepared for a terrorist attack on mainland Britain and that strategy is being driven by the availability of resources, rather than the country's needs.

While the committee accepts that the drive to incorporate new technology is "understandable", it warns that hardware should not soak up any extra cash going into the MoD budget.

It also says the government's terrorism defence strategy is too reactive in relation to a domestic attack and puts too much emphasis on offshore "expeditionary forces".

The reports is "unconvinced that in the event of repeated attacks on the UK, the MoD's reactive approach to defence of the UK homeland would be satisfactory".

Imagination

Labour committee chairman Bruce George called for "more imaginative thinking" from military planners.

"The MoD's whole policy for the future of our military is based on fighting terrorism at a distance. But this relies on terrorists agreeing to fight on our terms rather than theirs," he said.

"If terrorists decide not to play by our rules, then we will need forces that can react quickly to threats abroad and at home.

"This will only be possible if troops are properly trained to deal with new demands that are placed on them. We are not convinced that the MoD is on top of this problem."

George warned that cutting the number of troops, ships or aircraft is "not sensible".

And he called for an improved examination of the role the military could play in the event of a terrorist campaign on the UK mainland.

"The Home Office, the MoD and other government departments need to work more closely together on this issue," George said.

"Their discussions need to be about defending the homeland not defending their departmental turf, as appears to have been the case in the past."