LONDON: Britain is girding itself for the biggest peacetime security operation in its history featuring anti-aircraft missiles on rooftops and a warship in the river Thames for the London Olympics.
A security force of more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel, backed by a huge intelligence operation, will turn the British capital into a fortress to protect venues, athletes and visitors.
The £553-million ($877-million ) operation will watch for a range of scenarios, from "lone wolf " terror strike to cyber-attacks, protests, riots, transport breakdowns and even extreme weather. Security has already been tight around the Olympic torch as it has made its way around the UK in the past month. The only incident of note has been a protest as it went through Northern Ireland.
Defence secretary Philip Hammond said Rapier surface-to-air missiles would be deployed across the capital to guard against 9/11-style attacks, despite opposition from residents. The missiles — Rapier and smaller high-velocity systems — will be deployed at six sites including on the rooftops of flats in east London near the Olympic Park.
He said a major nine-day military exercise codenamed Exercise Olympic Guardian that took place in May had "achieved its objectives".
A security force of more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel, backed by a huge intelligence operation, will turn the British capital into a fortress to protect venues, athletes and visitors.
The £553-million ($877-million ) operation will watch for a range of scenarios, from "lone wolf " terror strike to cyber-attacks, protests, riots, transport breakdowns and even extreme weather. Security has already been tight around the Olympic torch as it has made its way around the UK in the past month. The only incident of note has been a protest as it went through Northern Ireland.
Defence secretary Philip Hammond said Rapier surface-to-air missiles would be deployed across the capital to guard against 9/11-style attacks, despite opposition from residents. The missiles — Rapier and smaller high-velocity systems — will be deployed at six sites including on the rooftops of flats in east London near the Olympic Park.
He said a major nine-day military exercise codenamed Exercise Olympic Guardian that took place in May had "achieved its objectives".
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