LONDON, December 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The British Royal Navy will dispatch a 2,600-man task force to the Gulf early next month as Britain launches its military build-up for a war on Iraq, reported a leading British newspaper on Sunday, December 15.

The aircraft carrier Ark Royal will lead a six-vessel fleet that includes a destroyer, a frigate and a submarine, sailing directly to the Middle East, reported The Telegraph.

The deployment is the first British contribution to the military build-up in the region being assembled by the United States to waged war on Iraq.

According to the paper, an announcement on the dispatching a ground force of about 20,000 British troops, led by a "light" armored division, is expected to be made within two weeks.

Top British brass said Saturday, December 14, that the naval task force would constitute a vital part of the British contribution to a possible U.S.-led war, which is expected in the spring.

One told The Telegraph: "This is really the guts of our naval commitments against Iraq. Ark Royal gives an obvious capacity and the destroyer and frigate will help guard all the ships in the region."

The ships are under preparation in Portsmouth, but will sail "imminently".

British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram claimed the deployment was a demonstration of his country's "continuing commitment to the security of the Gulf".

According to the paper, "the fleet will include about 600 Royal Marines aboard Ark Royal, whose complement is 685 men and a further 366 aircrew.

"The carrier has 16 Harriers and six helicopters and will be guarded by Liverpool, a Type 42 destroyer, and Marlborough, a Duke Class frigate.

"All three will be supplied by two Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, Fort Victoria and Orangeleaf.

"Completing the fleet is an unnamed submarine. It is expected, as in the 1991 Second Gulf war, to be equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The British government says the fleet is heading for Exercise Flying Fish, an international training event, slated for June in Malaysia.

"It is true that this has been planned for some time but it is a very convenient cover," the paper quoted one senior official as saying, adding that around 2,600 military personnel will leave within few weeks.

During the 1991 Gulf War, Britain had 19 vessels in the region, including two destroyers, two frigates, five minehunters and 10 support ships.

The Naval Task Group will be led by Rear-Adml David Snelson, Commander of the UK Maritime Force.

On Saturday, British senior military officials blamed the U.S. for delays in the deployment of British troops, insisting the scale of  contribution had yet to be agreed with the Americans.

On Saturday, The Times reported that thousands of British troops were expected to begin deploying to the Gulf next month in preparation for a possible war on Iraq as early as February.

Britain, which has not officially sent any troops to the region to prepare for war, will need several weeks to deploy and acclimatize, said the paper.

Under current contingencies, troops earmarked for Iraq are likely to be allowed to spend Christmas at home with their families before beginning the move to the Gulf, it added.