Canada's role in the Persian Gulf has been dramatically expanded, with a senior Canadian officer put in command of allied naval ships in the region, The Globe and Mail reports.

The Globe says Cmdre. Roger Girouard assumed command of the new Task Force 151 on Friday, under a deal agreed to by Ottawa and Washington. The Task Force is responsible for escorting ships, intercepting and boarding suspect ships and guarding against attacks on shipping.

Girouard, who was in charge of Canada's naval task force sent to East Timor in 1999, will command up to 20 allied ships from several different countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Greece and Canada.

He will command all allied naval warships, except for the U.S. aircraft carrier and its closest ships, in the Persian Gulf south of Kuwait and through to the Strait of Hormuz, The Globe says.

Howard Michitsch, a retired major with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, told CTV's Canada AM the contribution means that Canada won't be participating in a possible war on Iraq.

"We would be taking a leading role in Operation Enduring Freedom," he told host Lisa LaFlamme. "This is part of the war on terror and has to do with operations that have gone on in Afghanistan.

"It frees up American ships to go on, in any attack on Iraq," Michitsch said. "It fulfills a good job that needs to be done and it brings Canada a little bit more higher profile, but it does sort of rule out any Canadian contribution."

In addition to Canada's command of allied ships, a group of 25 senior Canadian officers has been sent to a U.S. command post in Qatar, where a possible war against Iraq would be run from.

The defence department has confirmed that the officers -- some of them stationed at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., -- have been redeployed to the Qatar base of As Sayliyah.

Defence Minister John McCallum has already said that Canada military planners in Tampa have been involved in contingency planning for war on Iraq.

U.S. President George Bush is expected to call for war in Iraq shortly after Feb. 14, when chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix delivers his latest progress report to the UN.

It's still unclear whether he will wait for a second UN resolution authorizing force, or move unilaterally, which many countries have been urging Washington not to do. But the presence of U.S. and British troops in the Gulf region have swelled in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien has said he is willing to lend military support to a U.S.-led coalition -- if such action is sanctioned by the United Nations.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney is among those who have sharply criticized Canada's current public position. Oliver said involving the Canadian navy in the Persian Gulf will likely allow Ottawa to deflect some heat.

"It would look like we were doing something, but it would be disguised since really we would not be, as one diplomat put it -- as having to face the unpleasantness of having to kill Iraqis," Oliver said.

Last November, the United States reportedly asked Canada to provide its crack special forces unit, Joint Task Force 2, as well as other military support in the event of a military strike in Iraq.

A published report said Washington sent a diplomatic note asking whether Ottawa can contribute ships, light armoured vehicles and JTF-2 special forces to a possible military strike on Iraq.

The request was made in a letter from U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. It specifically expresses interest in Canada's Coyote light-armoured vehicles, which were used with great success in Afghanistan.

The American request of military support was just one of about 50 such requests made to its allies.

Experts say one of the biggest challenges with providing support in Iraq would be getting equipment on the ground. One option would be for Canada to rent a strategic lift plane from the Ukraine or Russia.

Analysts believe the air force would likely send a small contingent of CF-18 fighters, while the navy could offer up to three vessels currently patrolling the Persian Gulf as part of Canada's contribution to the war on terrorism.

During Operation Apollo, Canada deployed 800 soldiers to Afghanistan for six months as part of the war against terror.

During the 1991 Gulf War, about 4,500 Canadian Forces personnel participated. A squadron of 26 CF-18 warplanes provided cover for allied shipping and carried out bombing raids on targets in Iraq during the 43-day war.

Canada's contribution also included 12 Hercules transport planes, two destroyers, a supply ship and a field hospital. There were no Canadian casualties.