Speaking to MPs after the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session, he explained how the priorities for the country entailed Afghan "ownership" of police and security, political reconciliation, reconstruction and international commitment to long-term development.

Mr Brown said:

"Britain will continue to fulfil our obligations to the Afghan people and the international community. We will support the Afghan army, police and government as they progressively take over greater responsibility for their own security. And we will work with our international partners and help the Afghans themselves strengthen their stability, foster democracy, and build prosperity.

"At all times we will support the hard work, dedication, professional and courage of our Armed Forces who are doing everything in their power to defeat terrorism and lay the foundations of a stable and secure future for Afghanistan."

The Prime Minister also announced that the MOD plans to order 150 additional specialist, protected vehicles for Afghanistan. The new vehicles will be called RIDGBACK and will represent a further spend of over £150M on protection for our forces, fully funded from the Treasury Reserve.

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Work is currently ongoing to identify the vehicle type. A number of solutions have been looked at, including off-the-shelf products. Negotiations are underway and are currently commercially sensitive. A manufacturer and vehicle will be announced in due course when these negotiations have concluded. Additional Sea King helicopters will also be sent to Afghanistan. These are expected to deploy in the spring.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said:

"This is excellent news and it will increase the numbers of helicopters and the range of protected vehicles available to our forces and those who work alongside them on operations.

"Between Treasury and MOD investment, we have made significant improvements to protection for our forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Vehicles like Mastiff and Bulldog have been a huge success and have saved lives on numerous occasions. We will procure RIDGBACK in sufficient numbers to allow comprehensive pre-deployment training."

During his speech the Prime Minister highlighted a number of key challenges, including the dismantling of the Taliban insurgency and Al Qaeda operations, the reduction of narcotic-producing poppy crops and achieving successful economic reconstruction.

The UK will provide £450 million for development and stabilisation from 2009 to 2012, and will also maintain a "a strong military force" in the country of around the current level of 7,800 armed forces personnel, the PM said. Mr Brown called for a greater contribution to the security and reconstruction effort from members of the EU, NATO and the wider international community. The Prime Minister praised the contribution of British troops to Afghanistan in a visit to Helmand province earlier this week. In a later press conference with President Karzai in Kabul, Mr Brown reaffirmed the UK's commitment to rebuilding the nation.