KUWAIT -- A U.S. Marine force prepared in Kuwait on Wednesday for an annual exercise, defense sources said, in addition to American ground forces already training close to the Iraqi border.

The first batch of equipment for the Eager Mace Exercise arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday for the training in October, which is part of a program under way in Kuwait since the U.S.-led 1991 Persian Gulf War ended a seven-month Iraqi occupation.

The U.S. training in Kuwait and a marked increase in heavy military hardware arriving the small Persian Gulf state in recent months has triggered speculation that Washington and London are preparing for a possible war against Iraq for allegedly developing weapons of mass destruction and to topple President Saddam Hussein.

But U.S. and Kuwaiti officials have said it is all part of an intensified training program which was previously delayed due to the deployment of assets and forces in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks.

In previous Eager Mace exercises, a brigade of some 2,000 marines stormed the Kuwaiti shoreline in amphibious landing craft and using a variety of weapons and armored equipment.

The marine expeditionary unit's equipment includes grenade launchers, battle tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, helicopters and harrier jump jets, Reuters said.

The United States has maintained a military presence in Kuwait since the Persian Gulf War, with warplanes, heavy military equipment and ground forces deployed in the oil-rich state around the year.

It currently has just under 10,000 soldiers in Kuwait while Britain has 12 Tornado warplanes stationed as part of a U.S.-led operation to enforce a no-fly zone over southern Iraq.

Kuwait, a close American ally, has said it opposes the possible U.S.-led war against Iraq, stressing that Washington would not be allowed to use its territory for an attack in the absence of a new Nnited Nations resolution.