The
UK’s Armed Forces are undermanned and overstretched while politicians
concentrate resources on new technology, MPs warned yesterday.
In
a report on the Government’s plans for the Army, Navy and Air Forces, the
defence select committee said that a desire to introduce new technology had
"ignored profound implications" for the three services.
The
MPs said they were "unconvinced" that the Army could cope with
terrorist attacks at home, because of the stretch of manning overseas
expeditions.
Following
the five-month investigation into the Government’s defence White Paper,
published last December, the committee chairman, Bruce George, warned:
"Troops, both regulars and reserves, are already overstretched.
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"Cutting
the number of boots on the ground, ships or aircraft, are not sensible options,
particularly when we have no guarantee that the new equipment which is meant to
replace them will arrive on time or perform as planned."
