The UK's armed forces are on standby to provide an additional 3,500 troops to help with security at the 2012 London Olympics, the BBC has learned.
It comes amid fears that private contractor G4S would not be able to provide enough trained staff in time.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that soldiers serving with the British Army in Germany have had their notice to move shortened.
This means they could be transferred to London within a matter of days.
G4S is being paid £300m to guard the Games, but the BBC understands it has not been able to guarantee it can supply the 10,000 guards it has been contracted to deliver.
Instead, summer leave is likely to be cancelled for some British troops as the MoD prepares around 3,500 military personnel to fill the potential gap in security.
The armed forces were already due to provide some 13,500 personnel to help at the Games, with more available as a contingency plan.
Whitehall sources are keen to stress that there is no impact on security at the Games, and that the plan was always to have a mix of civilian and military working.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the move would come as an embarrassment to G4S.
She said there was anger within the military that they were being asked to step in, not least at a time that the armed forces were being downsized.
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