A report by British MPs has criticized the government's military policy and funding, and raised the objection that the British military might not have the money to do what the government wants it to do in future.

The criticisms are contained in a report on the war in Libya, where Britain along with other Western powers both inside and outside NATO and some regional nations, intervened in the conflicts that saw then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddhafi killed.

The government outlined its smaller military in a Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) in the autumn of 2010.

The MPs commented in the report that the Libyan operation was "conducted prior to the implementation of many of the SDSR decisions on capability reductions. We believe the government will face significantly greater challenges should an operation of similar size be necessary in the future and it will need to be prepared for some difficult decisions on prioritisation."

The report said that the Libyan operation raised "important questions as to the extent of the United Kingdom's national contingent capability. We urge the Government to review the United Kingdom's capacity to respond to concurrent threats."

The MPs had heard evidence from military leaders, including the professional heads of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, who had revealed that the Libyan operation had significantly altered the deployment of their military assets, and in some cases standing military commitments had to be dropped.

These included a naval combat vessel usually deployed in the Caribbean, and a naval combat vessel usually deployed for instant use.

The MPs said in their report "we note that important tasks, such as the Fleet Ready Escort and counter drugs operations, were not able to be carried out due to meeting the Libya commitment. Given the continued high levels of standing maritime commitments it is likely that this type of risk taking will occur more frequently as the outcomes of the SDSR are implemented. This will be a significant challenge for the Royal Navy."

The report also raised the prospect that if the United States military carried out the "U.S. stated intention to shift its military, geographic and strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region" then it would mean "that future NATO operations will not be possible if the US is not willing or able to provide capabilities such as unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence and refuelling aircraft."

The report said It should be a priority for NATO to examine this "over-reliance on US capabilities and assets."