Senior planners from the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood and senior staff officers from Britain’s 1st (UK) Armoured Division in Germany are joining their American counterparts in Qatar next month. Some have already left and their involvement is seen as the next stage in preparing for war.

Even though there is still no formal political approval for committing Britain’s Armed Forces to a war on Iraq, all three Services now want to be involved in next month’s exercise. It will be held at Qatar’s al-Udeid base and will provide a crucial opportunity to test communications for a land, sea and air operation.

The base has been redeveloped and expanded to provide the Americans with an operational headquarters and a launch pad for air attacks. The MoD indicated that a small element from the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, northwest London, from where all Britain’s big military operations are planned and run, would join the Americans in Qatar.

However, with the UN Security Council expected this week to produce a tough resolution giving Iraq deadlines for declaring its weapons of mass destruction and co-operating with UN arms inspectors, the Qatar exercise is now seen as a dress rehearsal for war.

Staff from the Permanent Joint Headquarters had been due to take part in an exercise in an African country next month; that will be cancelled, but an announcement has yet to be made by the MoD.

The whole of the tri-Service HQ planning team will now focus on Iraq and key elements will go to Qatar to contribute to the work of the staff of General Tommy Franks, Commander-in-Chief of the US Central Command.

On the assumption that Washington will want Britain to provide a heavy armoured force, the MoD has earmarked the 1st (UK) Armoured Division as part of its contingency planning, which is why elements of the Germany-based formation are also expected to go to Qatar next month.

The commander of the division is Major-General Robin Brims, but he is not expected to go there himself. General Brims was due to relinquish his command of 1st (UK) Armoured Division within the next six months.

His successor is lined up to be Brigadier Peter Wall. However, defence sources said that the changeover would not take place if the 1st (UK) Armoured Division were committed to a war in Iraq. General Brims would remain in command, they said. Two of the division’s three brigades, the 7th and 4th armoured brigades, are on notice for action in Iraq.

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