The government has set out plans to make greater use of the Territorial Army in order to allow British soldiers to focus on the international campaign against terror.

As the Ministry of Defence examines the lie of the land following the September 11 attacks, military chiefs believe that the TA can play a greater role in "homeland defence".

Thursday's move, described as a "rebalancing", represents a shift in strategy and follows attempts by Labour to cut back the role of the TA.

Overstretch

In recent months military chiefs have warned ministers that the UK's forces are suffering from severe overstretch.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the consultation document, Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, said that reservists should play a greater role in guarding key installations.

"One of the important questions is whether we want to use regular members of the armed forces for the purpose, particularly when they are so extensively engaged overseas," he said.

"I can see a role for reassuring people, at least at times of national emergency, for key installations to be guarded," he said.

Whilst the proposal has been welcomed by the TA, it has warned that any "homeland defence" policy should not undermine the TA's role as a back-up to the UK's full-time forces.

Hoon has also put forward plans to increase the mobility of key troops - such as the Paras - in order to allow them to respond rapidly to global crises.

"It is of the nature of terrorists... that those threatening the UK will be hard to find, may present only fleeting opportunities to attack them and can often choose inaccessible areas for training and planning," says the report.

"In many circumstances, therefore, we will need to be able to strike very rapidly."