Around 13,500 armed forces personnel will deployed to defend the London Olympics, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday that he expected 7,500 soldiers to be stationed around the Olympic venues in the capital itself, while the remainder provide security across the rest of the country at various events.
"This defence contribution is on a similar scale to that deployed at other recent Olympic Games and will contribute to ensuring a safe, secure and enjoyable 2012," he said.
"Olympics. Defence will continue to be able to support current and contingent operations during the Games and my priority will remain the troops we have deployed on operations, including in Afghanistan, before, during and after the Olympics."
There are currently between 9,500 and 10,000 British armed forces personnel deployed in Afghanistan.
There will also be a 1,000 strong rapid-reaction force ready to respond to emergency situations.
Hamond said the total venue guard-force would likely be around 23,700. The funding for security operations at London 2012 was recently doubled raising overall security costs for the 2012 games to more than 1 billion pounds
In addition to the troops, the Royal Navy's largest warship HMS Ocean will be stationed in the Thames near Greenwhich as a helicopter landing platform and to provide security on the river.
HMS Bulwark meanwhile will patrol Weymouth Bay, providing security for the sailing competitions.
RAF Typhoon jets will also patrol London's skies supported by helicopters from HMS Ocean and ground based air defence systems.
In November it was reported that the United States was considering sending 1,000 security agents, including 500 from the FBI, to protect its athletes and diplomats at the games.
According to the Guardian, Scotland Yard's response to the summer riots undermined US officials' confidence in the ability of Britain to police the Games.
