Army begins stockpiling ammunition

The army is stockpiling huge quantities of ammunition and supplies at its base near Southampton as the military build-up on Iraq gathers pace in Britain and America.

The Ministry of Defence is describing the growing stockpile at Marchwood, the Army's logistical port, as "an exercise", though it could clearly be destined for any operation in the Gulf region. In America, reserve pilots of the National Guard have been warned to expect their call-up papers at the end of this month.

Advance parties of British troops are believed to be heading to Kuwait for exercises and they could be switched to preparing for the arrival of up to a brigade of British troops (about 4,000 men and women) by the end of next month. HMS Ark Royal is in the Mediterranean on exercise, and the assault carrier HMS Ocean is in the Indian Ocean area.

Tony Blair could order the call-up of specialist reserve forces after the debate on Iraq scheduled for 24 September. Some reservists say they expect to get notice of mobilisation on 26 September.

The MoD was at pains yesterday to deny that any preparation was being made for operations against Iraq, despite Tony Blair giving George Bush his full support at the Camp David meeting last weekend.

The notion that the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades could be deployed to the Gulf by the end of the year was dismissed as "absolute rubbish" by two MoD spokesmen. But the Army is known to have identified these units as the most likely to go if armoured forces are required for full-scale operations against Iraq, as in 1991.

If planning cycles do not begin within the next fortnight, British forces may not be ready for any major activity in the Gulf region until well into next year.

However, America is increasingly worried about the unpredictability of Saddam Hussein, whose air defences have been stepping up activity against British and US planes enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.

Analysts have identified the biggest threat as being an attack by chemical or biological agents released by terrorists or sponsored suicide bombers, or even by unmanned aircraft over Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.