Heavy military force to safeguard Games

LONDON - Britain will have 13,500 troops on duty for the 2012 London Olympics and deploy two navy ships, warplanes and ground-to-air missiles to safeguard the Games, the defense minister announced on Thursday.

Philip Hammond said the Olympics were a "once in a generation" event for the country and Britain wanted them to be secure for athletes coming from around the world.

The figure of 13,500 troops is significantly higher than the 7,000 that had been widely expected.